Hunters and life
by TheCivilizedCaveman
Summary: This is a collection of one-shots mostly related to the fanfic "To be a Huntsman", an OC and AU-ish take on RWBYverse; while reading it beforehand isn't required, I recommend reading at least the chapters that some of the one-shots may refer to, just to get you fellas up to speed. Rating: may differ chapter from chapter but it's T unless stated otherwise.
1. A little fun and games

_In the very last update of "To be a Huntsman" I said I'd upload a collection of one-shots related to the aforementioned RWBY fanfic. It's gonna be pretty random, covering events from before or during the events of the main fanfic, or as an interlude between the first and second story arc. Other than that, I can't say much in advance because what I post here pretty much depends on the ideas. Of course, if you guys have any suggestions_ _or requests I might try and use them; no guarantees on how it turns out though :-)_

 _Anyways, here goes the first update. At the beginning of each chapter there will be a short description, as in: is it "canon" or not, when it plays out, and rating (M rated chapters will have a notice in the chapter list). And before I forget, here goes the disclaimer: **RWBY is the property of Roosterteeth** ; I own but my original characters.  
_

 _So without further ado, please sit back and enjoy the read :-)_

* * *

Chapter 1 – A little fun and games

 _Semi-canon (it means that it doesn't clash with the plot of "To be a Huntsman" but it didn't necessarily have to happen)_

 _Genre: humor, friendship_

 _Time: Two weeks after the Initiation, before events of Jaunedice_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

"Alright, can someone explain to me what is _this_ supposed to mean?"

Weiss was grinding her teeth in irritation at the sight of the crowd gathered at the door to her team's room. It was Friday and after a long day of studying which could be quite demanding even for someone like her, she was looking for some peace and quiet… if such thing was even possible given that she was sharing a room with a duo of exuberant and frankly kind of annoying half-sisters. Despite being a capable leader, Ruby still showed a behavior which, in her eyes, was pretty immature and sometimes bordering on childish. And her sister, well… Right now, the heiress couldn't care less about Yang's combat prowess; that blonde bimbo never seemed to take anything seriously, _ever,_ which was grating on her nerves since day one.

And now, when Weiss was finally about to get her rest after a day filled with demanding studies, she turned up at the door with two other teams in tow.

Truth to be said, she didn't particularly care about both of them. How that blonde klutz was named the leader of team JNPR instead of Pyrrha Nikos was completely beyond her. Valkyrie was a hyperactive menace that would drive everyone insane within a month; it would explain why Lie Ren looked so apathetic all the time. All in all, Pyrrha was about the only person worth talking to in the entire team; too bad she didn't get partnered with _her…_

As for team TNDR, the heiress mostly ignored them entirely, especially with one of their members being a Faunus. As long as they kept their distance she was willing to tolerate their presence but that didn't mean she'd have to make friends with them. The same went for the overgrown child, the nettlesome pest of a gunslinger and the ditzy wannabe pirate.

All in all, she didn't like seeing all those people on her doorstep… especially when Xiao Long and Griffon each carried a couple of bottles that could only contain some kind of alcohol.

Oblivious to Weiss' angry expression, Yang cheerfully answered the question she posed a moment earlier. "Why, we're all about to spend some quality time together, Weissy! We've been at the same school for two weeks now and it's high time we got to know each other better!"

Weiss heaved an exasperated sigh and gestured to the rest of the visitors. "And you all went along with her idea?"

"Why not? It could be fun." Arc shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with a little fun and games, _princess._ " Griffon said teasingly.

Ignoring the jab, the heiress squinted at her with suspicion. "What fun and games?"

"It's nothing harmful, for God's sake!" Nora exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration. "You seriously need to loosen up, ye party pooper!"

"There's a party going on? And nobody told me?!" Ah yes, Ruby finally took notice of what was happening; too busy reading some stupid comic book until this moment. _Seriously, what could possibly be intelligent about something that's called 'Camp Camp'?_

"Party? Oh, you shouldn't have." Blake remarked dryly. She sat on her bed, her gaze firmly glued on the book in her hands. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"I don't think so, Blakey!" Yang shot back. "You're dropping the book and having fun with the rest of us!"

With that, the crowd outside made its way into the room.

Weiss shook her head in bewilderment. She was pretty sure that Yang wouldn't stop pestering her to join the 'fun', whatever it was, until she caved in.

 _Besides, this can't be too bad, right?_

* * *

There was a lot less space in RWBY's dorm now that three teams, which made twelve people in total, were seated everywhere across the room. Surprisingly, no one sat on the bed; the twelve students sat on the floor in a wide circle. There must've been a reason for that though Weiss couldn't imagine why…

"Please, sate my curiosity, Xiao Long." The heiress questioned, still feeling a bit annoyed over the intrusion. "What torture you decided to put us through?" She'd swear she heard Blake chuckle at that… but then she spotted something suspicious. "And why is one of the bottles empty?"

Yang didn't seem offended by her choice of words, though. "To answer your question, Weissy, fun is what we're going for, of course _but_ most of all we want to get each other better. And what could be better way to do it than with _this?_ " The blonde reached for the empty bottle. "Anyone wanna guess what I mean?"

There was a moment of unnerving silence.

And then Roland spoke up. "Truth or dare." He spoke in a flat voice with just a hint of incredulousness. "Oh boy…"

"That's right, Gunny!" Yang replied cheerfully. "I'm glad at least one of you got it right!"

Weiss had never heard of that game before but, judging by the blonde's mischievous smirk, it couldn't have been anything good. The reaction from the rest of the students was mixed; some seemed excited but others looked apprehensive, maybe a bit fearful.

Tanya stood up from her spot on the floor in between Nicolaus and Nora. "Okay, now that we've got your attention, it's time we set some ground rules first."

"Wait a moment…" Roland interrupted, pointing his finger accusingly at the girl. "You helped set this up?"

"Hey, it won't be anything bad so calm your man-tits and hear me out!"

Yang burst out laughing at Griffon's comment. A few others also snickered quietly.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," She continued. "I think most of you know this game already but I'll do a quick recap, just in case. First, one person spins the bottle, obviously; then whoever the cap ends up pointing at will have to choose between 'truth' and 'dare'. Truth means that the person that spun the bottle will get to ask you a question of their choice and you'll have to answer it _truthfully_. As for the dare option, you have to perform whatever task they give you. You guys with me so far?"

Weiss instantly raised her hand. She was seriously starting to regret taking part in this. "Are there any limits to these questions and tasks?" The heiress asked, taking extra care to keep her voice leveled.

"I'm getting to that." Tanya continued. "First off, you can't ask the same question or give the same task _twice to the same person._ Secondly, while there are no limits to dares, at least some clothes will _stay on_ -"

"What do you mean by _some?_ " Weiss snapped. This was getting real bad real fast.

"That means _no flashing naughty bits_ , princess." Yang interjected. "Stripping down to your underwear is allowed; it's basically the same as when you're on the beach!"

 _Oh._

At least the heiress could take comfort in the fact that she wouldn't have to strip naked if someone dared her to… Not that she was crazy enough to choose 'dare', of course.

"Another thing is-" Tanya cut herself off mid-sentence and turned to Yang. "Actually, why don't _you_ explain this one?"

The blonde happily took the floor… almost too happily, in Weiss' opinion. "Ah yes; to spice things up, you all get the option to _not_ answer a question or _not_ do a task _but_ -" Yang pulled out a bottle with a golden colored liquid inside. "You have to _take a shot_ _instead_."

 _Oh no._

 _OH HELL NO!_

"Are you insane?!" Weiss screeched. "So we're encouraging underage drinking no-" She was promptly cut off when Tanya slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Not so loud! You want the whole damn campus to hear you?!"

The heiress shoved her hand away and glared sharply at Yang. "How did you even get the alcohol in the first place, Xiao Long?!"

"Well, it's easier to get some booze when you're shaped like a fine young woman instead of a girl." Yang replied with a wink.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the answer. _Of course you'd take advantage of your, ahem, mature looks… you damn floozy…_ It wasn't like she was envious of Yang because she was lacking in certain areas of her physique, unlike the blonde.

Absolutely not…

"Anyway," Yang continued. "At first I suggested that everyone can take the 'shot' option as often as they want but then the game wouldn't be so interesting. Plus, we can't get too drunk since we're all still underage. Thus we're gonna do it this way: each and every one of you can bail out of a question or task _only three times_. So choose wisely!"

"I guess that's fair." Pyrrha noted. The rest of the gang gave nods of agreement.

Nicolaus raised his hand. "A question: what about Ruby? She's _fifteen_ ; I don't think she can take hard liquor."

"Vodka and orange juice." The blonde said simply. "Not nearly as strong as whiskey."

"I don't think I like this idea anymore." Ruby stated with a grimace.

"Nobody said you have to drink booze with us." Tanya chuckled. "Just be brave and never back out of a challenge."

"You're talking like my uncle." Ruby grumbled.

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing, Rubes." Yang snickered before turning to the rest of the group. "So, the rest of you choose your 'bail-out' drinks and we can get started!"

If the others were excited about this stupid game, Weiss certainly didn't share their sentiment. The way this 'truth or dare' worked, someone could easily take advantage of it to get her to make a complete fool out of herself. If her father ever learned she was taking part in this…

 _Let's just hope it won't be so bad…_

* * *

Players were seated, bottles and glasses were ready… It was time to begin.

"So… Who gets to start?" Blake spoke up, breaking the silence.

Yang smirked and reached for the empty bottle. "Let the little thing right here decide!" With that, she spun the empty glass vessel.

Every pair of eyes in the room was now fixed at the bottle spinning freely in the middle of the circle. Weiss guessed that everyone wanted to be the first to spin… not that she particularly cared about that privilege. Her only concern was to get humiliated as little as possible.

The bottle eventually began slowing down. When it finally stopped, its cap was pointing straight at _Blake_ , of all people.

"Welp, there goes the answer to your question." Jaune quipped.

With her usual disinterested expression, Blake reached out and spun the bottle. It was turning for a few long moments before it came to a halt.

Nicolaus stared wordlessly at the glass vessel; its open end settled right on him.

Though keeping on her stoic mask, Weiss was secretly relieved that she was spared the embarrassment, for now at least.

"So… Truth or dare?"

The fox Faunus glanced at the girl with the bow. "… Truth, I guess."

"We're starting out _strong._ " Yang commented sarcastically.

"Okay, give me a moment." Blake said, mulling what to ask her victim.

"Hurry it up!" Nora called out.

"Practice some patience, Nora." The raven haired girl snapped back in mild irritation and went back to contemplating her question. After a few seconds of silence she finally spoke up. "I think I got it."

"Let's get this over with, then." Nicolaus said dryly.

"Okay, so, um… What is your most embarrassing fear? As in, what is the, um, pettiest thing you're afraid of?"

"Lame!" Nora jeered.

"It's a good question!" Ruby objected. Weiss could agree that there were far worse things a person could ask.

Nicolaus remained quiet for a moment. One might think he was considering taking a shot of whiskey but then he finally replied. "My most trivial fear, you say?" He intoned. "Well, I'm afraid of elevators. Don't ask me why though, because I really don't know."

To his relief, no one was laughing.

"That's weird," Tanya noted. "I mean, I don't see what's so scary about elevators."

The fox Faunus shook his head. "Me neither but I just can't stand them. Just the thought of being suspended above an abyss in a cage that relies on an engine to keep it in place, an engine that can break down _anytime_ , mind you…" He broke off with a shudder.

"It sounds like you're suffering from a type of claustrophobia." Pyrrha offered.

"Sounds like it… I won't know for certain until I visit a psychologist which will only happen, well, _never._ " Nicolaus shrugged and reached for the bottle. "Okay, it's my turn now."

With a simple flick of his wrist, the bottle was sent spinning.

After a few seconds, it finally stopped… settling right on a certain heiress.

Weiss felt very uncomfortable when every eye in the room turned to her.

"Drat!"

The curse tumbled out of her mouth faster than she could stop it. Yang began giggling quietly at her outburst; the nasty glare Weiss sent her way was enough to shut her up but it failed to wipe the smug grin off the blonde's face.

"Truth or dare?" Nicolaus asked simply with an emotionless face.

His question brought her back to the present time… and to her current dilemma.

 _Truth or dare… God, what do I pick?!_

Both options could involve something embarrassing and she sure didn't want to throw away her dignity just for some stupid game. Of course, that depended entirely on the person asking… She never really spoke with Flamme, mostly because neither she nor he were interested. Unlike many other Faunus though, he seemed to tolerate her presence, never expressing any antipathy towards her or the rest of the Schnee family. Maybe he could keep things civil…

She decided to go with the 'safer' option, at least for now.

"Quit stalling, Ice Queen!" Yang called out impatiently.

"I am not stalling!" The heiress snapped back. She couldn't have taken that long to decide… right? "I pick truth."

"Wuss…" The blonde muttered under her breath.

"Okay…" Nicolaus drawled. "Was it your decision to go to Beacon or your father's?"

Oh. That was unexpected… Weiss thought he'd ask a more _personal_ question than that.

"Of course it was _my_ decision!" She sniffed. "I'm old enough to know what I want!" Even though her dad thought otherwise and never hesitated to let it be known. "Let's move on!" She exclaimed, not giving the other players an opportunity to discuss her answer. Nicolaus seemed satisfied, though.

The next time, the cap of the bottle ended pointing at Tanya.

"Oh woe is me!" The fencer moaned theatrically. "Goodbye, my dignity! I'll miss you dearly…" Within the split second her tone changed from pitiful wail to a flat, almost emotionless tone. "Dare."

"'Bout time…" Yang grumbled.

 _Dare, huh?_ "Alright, then. I need a moment to think of something…" Weiss found out soon that it was easier said than done. The heiress knew that some of the players expected her to make Griffon do something embarrassing. Part of her was tempted to give them what they want… but she had standards, damn it, and she wouldn't stoop down so low just for a few minutes of petty amusement at someone else's expense.

"Very well," Weiss said finally and looked at her victim. Tanya didn't look nearly as nervous as she'd expect. "Swap jackets with Yang!"

"That easy? Okay." Tanya said flatly as she rose from her spot, much to the heiress' irritation. _You should be grateful that I went easy on you, idiot! … Very well, then. Next time, I won't be so considerate._ The rest of the party didn't comment as Yang and Tanya shrugged off their jackets and swapped them.

Weiss couldn't help it but notice that the men's eyes seemed to remain on Yang's body a bit longer than necessary… _or appropriate_. No wonder… With her tiny tank top that struggled to contain her _ridiculously_ large breasts, Yang was bound to attract some attention. The busty blonde didn't seem to mind, though. _Hmph, no class_ at all. Weiss had to grudgingly admit that, aside from those _melons_ that seemed to attract the gaze of nearly every male in her proximity, Yang sported a pretty impressive physique, with well-developed muscle and fat only in those places that would accentuate her womanly figure. The heiress had no idea how the blonde achieved that… and more than once she thought of asking her for some pointers. If only it weren't for her pride holding her back…

As for Griffon, though… The fencer was shaped more like an athlete, unlike Yang who, with her figure, could easily become a glamour model if she wanted to. She had modestly sized bust compared to most other girls around Beacon (but still bigger than _hers_ , Weiss thought bitterly). On the other hand, even though far from being 'ripped', she had visibly more developed muscle, even sporting what teenagers commonly referred to as 'six pack'. True, Griffon never got nearly as much attention from men as Yang but it didn't seem to bother her.

Once they were done swapping their clothes, the boxer and the fencer returned to their respective spots. It was pretty strange to see Griffon dressed in Yang's leather jacket or Yang wearing a navy-style (and unusually modest) short coat; probably just because none of them were used to seeing them wear such attire.

"Okay then, my turn!" Tanya exclaimed and spun the bottle. She put a bit more strength into it than necessary and the empty vessel kept revolving for more than half a minute before it finally came to a halt.

The next candidate turned out to be none other than Yang.

The blonde didn't even let Griffon speak. "Dare, baby!" She exclaimed with a grin, her arms outstretched.

Tanya smirked at the grinning blonde. "Have it your way, Xiao Long." She pretended to think for a few seconds before finally saying "Give my jacket back."

"You guys are boring." Yang complained half-heartedly and stood up, shrugging off Tanya's jacket. Clothed from waist up only in a tank top that left little to imagination, the boxer hand the dark blue jacket back to its owner. Tanya took it back and took of the jacket she took from the blonde. Yang's hand immediately went for it but the fencer slapped it away.

"Hey, what gives?" Yang exclaimed with a frown. "That's mine-"

Tanya cut her off, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I believe the task was 'give my jacket back', not 'swap jackets with me'."

"… Wha?" Yang was at a loss of words when she realized the Pirate Queen played her and the rest of the gang had a good laugh at her flabbergasted expression.

"Man, she got you good, Yang!" Jaune snickered.

That seemed to break the blonde out of her stupor. She stuck her tongue out at the blonde knight and then said to Tanya. "I'll want it back."

"Not until the game's over, _Blondie!_ "

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'll take your word for that, _Pirate Queen._ " She responded and sat back down at her usual spot in between Weiss and Blake. "I guess it's my turn now." With that she spun the bottle.

After a few seconds of erratic spinning, it stopped on Pyrrha.

The champion stared at the empty vessel for a good few seconds before finally speaking. "I don't feel really courageous today. I choose truth."

Yang cursed quietly. "I was really hoping you'd choose dare, P-money."

"I guess I wanted to play it safe for now." Pyrrha replied, grimacing slightly at the nickname Yang gave her.

 _There's no 'playing it safe' when it comes to Yang Xiao Long,_ Weiss thought bitingly.

"So… Any boy at Beacon you're interested in?" Yang asked with a _bit too_ pleasant smile. "Romantically, I mean." She added as an afterthought.

Pyrrha instantly began blushing.

Nicolaus raised an eyebrow at the grinning blonde. "Aren't we getting a little too personal here?"

"She doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to." Yang shrugged. "If she's not afraid of booze, that is."

"I'd save those shots if I were you." Roland told Pyrrha. "You never know when you're gonna need them."

In the following conversation, the gang almost missed the Mistrali athlete saying something.

"What did you say, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha hesitated a bit before answering Jaune's question. "… Yes, there is… someone."

That piqued Yang's interest. "Who's the lucky guy? Come on, spill it!" She questioned, no, straight up begged Pyrrha to give away the name of her crush. The girl seemed to shrink under the scrutinizing looks that were being cast her way.

"Yang, you already asked your question." Weiss pointed out. "It's Pyrrha's turn now."

With a grateful smile, Pyrrha mouthed a 'thank you' at the heiress.

"Oh come on, don't be a stick in the mud, Ice Queen!" Yang complained. "Don't you want to know the name of-"

The heiress cut her off mid-sentence. "That's none of my business and _you_ should know better than try and invade someone's privacy."

While the blonde pugilist muttered something under her breath, Pyrrha reached for the bottle and set it in motion.

The cap settled on Nicolaus.

The fox Faunus showed no reaction other than a quiet "Again?"

"Alright, you know the drill." Pyrrha drawled. "Truth or dare?"

Nicolaus was quiet for a moment. "You know what, screw it!" He exclaimed. "I choose dare."

"That's the spirit!" Yang laughed.

"I think I may have an idea…" Pyrrha smirked. "For the rest of the game, you must end your every sentence with 'with my mouth'."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the redhead. This might turn out very well… or very bad, depending on what Nicolaus said. There was the side of Pyrrha Nikos she'd never expected to see.

Nicolaus smiled. "Okay, I can do that…" He trailed off as the others looked at him expectantly, some of them grinning impishly. He realized that his task had already begun. "… _with my mouth._ " The fox Faunus finished with a resigned sigh.

Yang burst out laughing. _No doubt she saw some kind of double entendre in that,_ Weiss thought.

"I don't get the joke." Desmond said helplessly. _Of course you wouldn't…_

"Do _what,_ Nick?" Tanya asked with an impish grin.

At that point, Nicolaus already realized what he got himself into. "I'm not going to answer that."

"You forgot to add something!" Pyrrha said in a sing-song voice.

"… With my mouth; happy?"

"So you'll be using sign language from now on?" Roland quipped, earning a few laughs and snickers.

The fox Faunus glowered at him. "Peregrine, stop encouraging them-" He stopped abruptly as he realized what position he put himself in, _again._ "… Bollocks." And it only got worse every time he opened his mouth. Nicolaus hid his face in his hands, refusing to look at anyone as the rest of the gang guffawed at his expense.

"'Bollocks' _what_ , Nicolaus?" Tanya wheezed out, holding her stomach.

 _You're just digging in deeper, aren't you?_ Weiss was laughing only because the others did, not because she found any of this funny. _Absolutely not…_

"With my mouth, damn it, and I'm done talking!" The laughter doubled in volume at his annoyed response. He forgot to add the phrase to the end of the sentence but no one really cared.

It took a while before the players finally regained their composure.

"Okay, that was a thing…" Yang giggled. She was beet red in the face and her voice was slightly hoarse from laughing.

"Yeah… Pyrrha you're awesome!" Nora said, giving the girl in question a thumbs-up.

"Why, thank you!"

"So, now it's Nick's turn." Ruby said.

"Let's hope he won't forget to really think through what he's about to say." Blake added with a mirthful glint in her eyes.

Nicolaus growled in response and spun the bottle.

After that, things were going at a rather fast pace.

The next one in line was Jaune. Due to the unfortunate task from Pyrrha, Nicolaus spoke as little as possible and used only hand gestures. Anyway, Jaune didn't want to take unnecessary risks so he went with 'truth'. It took Nicolaus a while to come up with a question though Weiss suspected he was trying to come up with the way of formulating it that would involve as little humiliation as possible.

Turns out it was easier said than done. "I'd like to know, if you're really as good with girls as you claim… _with my mouth._ " Several people snickered as he was forced to speak and add _that_ phrase at the end, as Pyrrha instructed him to.

As for Jaune, Weiss already knew the answer. As much as Jaune wanted people to think otherwise, he didn't have the faintest clue on how to approach girls. The heiress should know; she had been one of the victims of his pathetic attempts at getting a girlfriend. At least the idiot knight had the decency to stop when she explicitly told him she wasn't interested…

Jaune avoided looking at anyone in the room, beet red in the face. It took a few moments for him to blurt out a quiet "No." For Weiss, it was only a confirmation of a painfully obvious fact.

Another victim turned out to be Roland, one of Weiss' least favorite persons at Beacon. The gunman looked like if wanted to say 'dare' but thought better of it and went with the ''safer' ( _yeah, right_ … the heiress scoffed internally) option, much to Yang's chagrin.

"Ever kissed anyone outside your family?"

The gunslinger seemed surprised by the question but still answered with "Nope. I'm not that lucky."

 _Gee, I wonder why,_ the heiress thought sarcastically.

In the next spin, the bottle selected Desmond Lenius, the resident idiot of team TNDR. Not that anyone had the gall to tell that to his face because, well, he towered over most people at Beacon, measuring near seven feet in height. The goliath surprised everyone when he picked 'dare'.

"I dare you to bench a bed… with the entirety of team RWBY on it! At least five reps!"

Well, this was pretty interesting…

First, someone had to explain to Lenius what 'benching' meant. Then they had to carefully put Yang's bed on the floor. Weiss wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let the goliath go through with this; she really doubted that he could lift all four of them plus the bed. Not to mention the girls couldn't move an inch so the bed wouldn't fall on Lenius and injure him.

Now imagine her shock when he not only managed to bench the combined weight of team RWBY and Yang's bed, but also repeat it _eight times,_ instead of five.

Peregrine himself had to stop him from going on. "Dude, enough! You're crazy strong, we get it! Now put them down before you tear a muscle or something!"

After putting the bed back to its original place, the gang was ready to continue the game.

"Uh oh." Ruby said quietly when the cap of the bottle landed on her.

The leader of team RWBY wanted to go with 'truth' but after her damnable sister started egging her on she changed her answer to 'dare'.

"Okay… I dare you to… fit as many cookies into your mouth as you can! No chewing!"

"That I can do!" Ruby giggled. "Let's do this!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. She should've expected something as childish as this. It was still better than a possible alternative; if Yang was the one giving out a task, she'd certainly come up with something indecent.

Yang procured a jar of cookies. "Say 'Ah', little sis!" Ruby opened her mouth wide and began putting the baked sweets inside. "Okay, so that's one…" Yang counted aloud. "That makes two…"

And three… Then four…

Weiss gaped in awe as Yang stuffed the fifth cookie into her sister's mouth. Ruby made a series of incoherent, unintelligible noises; her mouth was almost completely full and she couldn't close it.

"I think there's room for one more!" Yang exclaimed and tried to fit another cookie inside. Ruby made another series of garbled noises, waving her hands frantically. Whatever message she was trying to get across was ignored and Yang managed to fit the sixth, and likely the last cookie inside her sister's oral cavity. "Aaaand done! Or should I try one more?"

Ruby shook her head rapidly.

Honestly, it was pretty funny to see the leader of team RWBY with her mouth completely filled with her favorite baked goods; with her cheeks puffed out, she reminded them of a hamster. Some of them even took pictures despite her unintelligible protests.

Blake seemed to be blushing at the sight; no one really knew why.

Ruby promptly emptied the contents of her mouth into her palms, only to wolf them down at almost impossible pace. "Okay, let's not do that again." She said, glaring at Yang. "Sis, you almost dislocated my jaw!"

"Sorry!" Yang apologized with a sheepish expression.

"Whatever. My turn now!"

Next candidate was Nora Valkyrie. The pink loving bundle of energy picked 'dare'. And a dare she got, indeed… Much to the shock of everyone present, especially her sister, Ruby commanded Nora to sit in Lie Ren's lap for the next ten minutes.

And Nora did exactly that. No questions, no arguments, nothing. And Ren didn't even react.

The next one in line was Jaune, again.

"Oh come on!"

This time, he picked 'dare'. Oh, he should've known better… Nora dared him to dye his hair pink for the next week. Weiss tried to picture how it would look like… and promptly burst out laughing, earning herself a few strange looks. The sheer silliness of the image had her in stitches.

Unfortunately, Jaune wouldn't go through with the challenge and knocked back a shot of whiskey instead, following with a brief coughing fit.

Next time, the bottle selected Ren. He chose a question.

"Okay, be honest with us. Are you and Nora together?"

Calm and collected as ever, Ren shook his head. "No. We're just childhood friends. We're almost like a family and that's no exaggeration."

"I call bullshit." Yang stated, regarding Ren with a stare.

"Swear!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Whether you believe me or not is your business." Ren answered coolly. "I believe it's my turn now."

Pyrrha barely stifled a gasp when the bottle stopped right on her. She didn't really feel brave today because she picked 'truth' again. Yang huffed impatiently but she couldn't do anything about Pyrrha's choice.

Ren's question was "Whom do you fancy here at Beacon?" Everyone was curious, especially one certain busty blonde. However, Pyrrha disappointed them all and gulped down a shot of whiskey. She took it better than Jaune though she made a disgusted grimace at the taste of the drink.

The next one in line was…

Weiss ground her teeth when the cap of that damnable bottle pointed right at her. Not even letting Pyrrha speak, she said "Truth" in a hard tone.

"You're such a pu-" Yang was cut off mid-sentence by a pillow to the face. _Thank you, Ruby._

"So, what I'd like to know is…" Pyrrha mulled over the question for a few moments. "Okay; has your father ever tried to marry you off to someone?"

And there went the more personal questions… "Why on Remnant would you ask that?!"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I don't know; it just came to my mind!"

The heiress sighed and began rubbing her forehead. "As a matter of fact, it did happen once." She confessed. "Father tried to arrange a marriage between me and the son of a rival company's boss. It didn't work out, though, due to, ahem, _irreconcilable differences._ "

"I'm surprised you speak so openly about that." Nicolaus remarked, adding the 'with my mouth' phrase after Pyrrha gave him a telling look.

"I have nothing to hide." The heiress sniffed.

Yang chuckled mischievously. "Oh we'll see about _that,_ Ice Queen."

Ignoring the jab, Weiss spun the bottle. It stopped right on her team leader.

"Go easy on me, partner!" Ruby squeaked.

"Don't be so dramatic, Ruby." The heiress huffed. "Truth or dare?"

"Uh, truth?"

"Very well, then." Weiss knew exactly what to ask. "So… What's the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in the last, say, five years?"

Ruby went strangely quiet, not saying a word for the next several minutes. She just kept glancing at the people in the room. It was pretty strange.

Then, in a very quiet voice, she said "I peed my bed one day while I was in my first year in Signal."

 _Okay, that was unexpected…_ Weiss had the decency not to laugh at her, no matter how ridiculous it might be. A shame the same couldn't be said about some other individuals…

Nora burst out laughing. "I- I'm so sorry!" The grenadier choked out as she guffawed.

"What was it? Were you sick? Or was it some weird dream?" Tanya chuckled.

"Don't wanna talk about it." Ruby mumbled and dragged the hood over her head. "And stop laughing, it isn't funny!" She reached for the bottle and spun it.

The next in line was Nora, again. "Dare!" She exclaimed automatically, bouncing on Ren's lap. Much to his credit, the magenta-eyed boy showed no reaction.

"Okay… I dare you to… uh… I dare you to… " The crimsonette trailed off. "I dunno." She said in embarrassment. "Somebody help me!"

"Nope!" Yang chirped. "It has to be your idea; we can't help you with that."

Ruby pouted though it wouldn't get her anywhere. "Ugh, fine." She grumbled. "Take Pyrrha's circlet and wear it for the rest of the game."

"Can we really involve other people in the dare?" Pyrrha said a bit defensively.

"Nora had to sit in my lap and neither of us was complaining." Ren pointed out.

"Of course you wouldn't complain…" Tanya muttered to herself.

"What was that, Griffon?"

"Nothing!"

With a defeated sigh, Pyrrha took of the circlet and handed it to Nora who put it on her head. Her ponytail came undone and her deep red hair now flowed freely down her back. "Um, what?" She asked confusedly when she noticed everyone staring at her.

"I gotta say, you look good with your hair down." Yang answered for everyone, eliciting a round of affirmative murmurs and nods.

"Thank you."

"My turn now!" Nora exclaimed giddily and spun the bottle.

It stopped on Blake.

The quiet bookworm of team RWBY rolled her eyes at as the rest of the gang stared at her expectantly. "Dare. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Famous last words…" Roland quipped.

"Al-righty then!" Nora grinned. "Carry me to the bathroom! I want to look in the mirror, just to see how I look like." She ordered, theatrically adjusting the circlet in her hair.

"Okay." Blake walked over and squatted in front of Nora.

The bomber climbed onto her shoulders. Ignoring Blake's strained grunts as she slowly stood up, she called out with a goofy grin. "To the bathroom, loyal steed of mine!"

The gang laughed as Blake stumbled to the bathroom with the Valkyrie on her shoulders. The raven haired girl glared at Yang who took the picture of the two.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna keep this!" Nora's voice rang out. "Now take me back!"

Panting slightly, Blake carried the giggling bomber back to her spot, going down on her knees to allow the girl to dismount. "We need to do this again!" She yelped in surprise when Nora slapped her rear, much to the amusement of others. Beet red in the face, Blake returned to her spot, refusing to look at anyone.

Wordlessly, she reached for the bottle and put it into motion. The vessel spun for a few seconds and then it stopped.

The cap was pointed right at the leader of team TNDR.

"Okay… I pick 'truth' this time." Tanya shrugged.

"So… Is there a reason why refuse to wear skirts?"

"Well… It's complicated." Tanya chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "At first, I didn't like how, um, _breezy_ it felt _down there_ while wearing a skirt." Yang tried to choke back laughter at that… and failed miserably, starting to giggle uncontrollably. "It's uncomfortable and it makes me feel kind of vulnerable. Then, of course, there was the fear that boys might try and _sneak a peek_ , if you know what I mean. Over time, I just got so used to wearing pants that I couldn't imagine myself wearing anything else. Not to mention that skirts are useless in combat."

"Hey! Don't diss the skirts!" Ruby protested. Though she wouldn't say it out loud, Weiss was inclined to agree.

"So you'd never put a dress on? Not even a long one?" Pyrrha inquired.

Tanya hesitated for a moment before answering. "It would probably take _a lot_ of convincing… But enough about me; I believe it's my turn now." With that, the fencer leaned forward and spun the bottle.

It settled on Yang. "That looks familiar." The blonde said dryly. "I pick 'dare', by the way."

"Have it your way, Xiao Long." Tanya chuckled, her lisp splitting in an impish smirk. "I dare you to let someone _braid your hair_."

Yang recoiled with a horrified gasp. _"What?!"_

"Oh no…" Ruby whispered in fright.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea." Jaune piped up. Weiss agreed with him, for once. The last person to mess with Yang's hair got landed in the infirmary for a whole week.

"You get to choose who's gonna do it."

"And how does _this_ make it better?!" Yang hissed back.

"Only you know which one of us is the least likely to damage your hair." Tanya elaborated. "If I had, I dunno, Miss Collateral Damage here," Nora scowled at the unflattering nickname. "do it, there wouldn't be much left of your mane, would it?"

 _The entire school would be leveled with the ground,_ Weiss chuckled internally. She swore she could hear Yang whimper at the thought of losing her precious hair.

Everyone thought that Yang would forfeit the challenge. Much to their surprise, the blonde set her jaw in a determined expression. "Fine, I'll do it." She grounded out. "Just remember; I won't forget this declaration of war." She turned to her sister. "Ruby, you're the only person in this room I can trust with this."

Ruby gulped heavily. "O-okay, I'll do it!" Weiss could tell that her leader was _not_ looking forward to this task. No wonder; one mistake could be fatal.

Yang didn't stop glaring at Griffon, even as her sister was working on her hair. Ruby had to pause every now and then to get her hands to stop trembling. Very slowly, Yang reached for the bottle and spun it… with an excessive force that sent it tumbling all over the place.

Somehow, the bottle survived the trip across the room… and its cap settled on Roland.

"Damn it!" The gunman grumbled. "Like if it wasn't enough once…"

"You know the drill, Gunny!" Yang chirped happily… which was kind of suspicious given what happened minutes earlier.

The gunslinger pondered his choices for a moment. "Oh, fuck it… Dare!" He finally said. "Okay, what kind of torture do you have in store for me, Yang?"

The blonde smirked mischievously. "Since you asked so nicely… I dare you to take a shot of whiskey…"

Roland chuckled. "Easy. Just gim-"

Little did he know that Yang didn't finish. " _… From Griffon's belly button!_ "

And at that moment, his jaw dropped.

"WHAT?"

The rest of the gang reacted pretty much the same way.

"Oh my…" Pyrrha gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

Tanya kept glancing between Roland and Yang, her jaw moving uselessly as she was completely at a loss of words.

"This is getting out of hand." Ren said dryly.

"Yang, what is wrong with you?!" Ruby snapped. Blake was simply blushing like crazy though no one really knew why.

"That's what you call _revenge_ , sis!" Yang smirked.

"What did _I_ do to deserve this?" Roland protested.

The busty boxer rolled her eyes. "Oh quit your bitchin'. When do you think you'll get another opportunity like _that?_ "

"Oh so you're playing a _matchmaker_ now?"

"Hey, what are you afraid of?"

"'Afraid'? _Really?_ "

"Okay, fine!" Tanya shouted, interrupting the argument. "I can do this stupid challenge, whatever. The question is if Roland wants to."

"Of course I'll do it!" The gunman shot back, surprising everyone. "I picked dare and I'm not about to bail out now. I just don't like-"

Yang clapped her hands, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Okay, so it's settled. I assume you guys know what to do?" The unfortunate pair nodded. "Good! So now it's time for a demonstration!"

Roland shook his head in bewilderment. "Let's get this over with…"

"Just so you know, Yang, we're getting back at you for this later." Tanya remarked and took her jacket off. Then she lay on the floor and hiked up her blouse to expose her midriff.

Yang already handed the gunman a bottle of whiskey. "Try not to spill it on the carpet, please."

"Yeah, yeah…" Very carefully, the gunman poured the liquor into Tanya's navel. The girl winced a bit when the liquid made contact with her body.

"So this is really a thing?" Desmond muttered.

"Yeah, looks like it." Jaune replied, oblivious to Pyrrha's gaze lingering on him.

"That can't be sanitary." Weiss deadpanned.

"Oh screw you, princess!" Tanya snapped back, taking her remark as an insult. "I'll have you know that I shower _every day!_ "

The rest of gang chuckled at the exchange.

"You know, I just remembered." Ren spoke with a neutral expression. "I read it in a book once that a navel is one of possible erogenous zones on a human body."

Weiss nearly choked on her own breath as he said that. A few people, namely Tanya, Pyrrha and Blake turned a rather nice shade of red. Ruby screwed her eyes shut and slapped her hands over her ears.

Roland groaned loudly, putting the bottle away. "You just had to go and say it, didn't you?" His voice got partially drowned out by Yang's raucous laughter.

"What are you waiting for, gunny?" The blonde stuttered out, failing to contain her giggles. " _Drink up!_ "

"Ugh…" The fencer hissed out. "You better watch out for your hair, Xiao Long."

Roland shifted uncomfortably, glancing around for a moment before bending down slowly to the fencer's abdomen.

Weiss shot a glance at Yang. The blonde looked like she was having the time of her life, observing the scene before her with a wide grin. On the other hand, Ruby outright refused to watch.

 _Damn you, Xiao Long…_

Tanya kept her gaze locked on the ceiling.

The gunman's mouth was inches away from making contact with her navel.

Then the door to RWBY's room suddenly flew open, making everyone jump in fright.

" _Children,_ I've been receiving so many noise complaints in the past hour that-" Professor Goodwitch trailed off at the sight before her.

Twelve students sitting in a wide circle in the middle of the room. Bottles of alcohol splayed all around. Mr. Peregrine leaning over Miss Griffon in what could only be perceived as a public display of intimacy.

Her hand clenched tightly around her riding crop. One of her eyes began twitching.

The smile vanished from Yang's lips.

Roland mouthed something very closely resembling "Oh fuck."

" _What in the name of Oum is going on here?!"_

The students flinched at the sheer volume of her voice, both surprised and frightened by her presence.

Griffon shot up from the floor, a conspicuous golden liquid spilling out of her navel. "Wait a moment, Professor! We- We can explain!"

"Yeah!" Yang chimed in. "This was _our_ i-idea-"

"Enough!" Goodwitch barked out. "You can explain yourself _in the headmaster's office!_ "

Weiss felt her blood run cold. If her father learned she was partaking in an activity such as this… He'd never let her live this down. Though it was rather unexpected to see Yang _of all people_ take responsibility for what happened here. For that, she earned her respect.

The heiress could only hope that Ozpin would be lenient with them…


	2. Big sister strikes again

Chapter 2 – Big sister strikes again

 _Canon_

 _Genre: humor, friendship_

 _Time: The night of the Beacon dance_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

The door to the Beacon's ballroom opened and a young girl in a suit stumbled out, inhaling deeply and taking in a lungful of fresh air. She chuckled quietly to herself and began walking down the hallway with a slight skip in her step.

Tanya Griffon was having a blast this evening. It was fairly late, well past eleven o'clock but the fun at the Beacon dance was just starting. After all the training and studies, it felt good to just unwind once in a while. Things only got better when the old fashioned dancing orchestra was replaced by the thrumming rhythm of electronic music. Yes, Tanya loved dancing no matter what kind but the first few hours at the ball reminded her of dance classes. She didn't mind but she expected something more exciting…

And that came with the impromptu group dance by team JNPR.

Who knew that Jaune was such a good dancer? And that he'd look so good wearing a _dress_ of all things? And she wasn't even into boys in the first place…

All in all, the dance turned out really great. The fun with her friends at the dance floor, all those beautiful girls in sexy dresses she could admire, great food, even better drinks… and Goodwitch didn't even bug her about her choice of attire, which was a big plus in itself.

Tanya didn't give a damn what others thought, especially Weiss with her 'this is not a cross-dressing party' comment. Black suit, deep purple blouse and a pair of black heels; a combination that most girls wouldn't even consider wearing but she made it work. She chose this getup because she looked _damn good_ in it. Not to mention a dress wasn't even an option anyway.

All in all, things were really great… though the fencer had one complaint.

For some reason, the ballroom lacked any kind of air conditioning which meant that over time the air grew uncomfortably hot and heavy. Simply opening all windows wouldn't do and Tanya realized she needed to go outside to get some fresh air. She could literally feel the sweat dripping down her back.

After all, people needed their precious oxygen and she was no exception.

And maybe she could find Ruby while she was at it. The young scythe wielder slipped out of the ballroom without anyone noticing. Nobody knew how long she was gone and where did she go. It was a shame because after a long coaxing Tanya finally talked the girl into joining the fun on the dance floor. Teaching her to walk in high heels also helped.

And she just up and left, not telling anyone squat. It was pretty weird.

Tanya stopped in her tracks when she heard the door open and then close with a soft click.

"Oh, I didn't think I'd find you here."

Oh, it was just Yang. "I just needed to get some fresh air." Tanya replied with a smile. "It's getting hard to breathe inside."

Yang chuckled. "Tell me about it… I'm gonna need a long shower after the dance is over."

Tanza could instantly tell that she was nervous about something… and she didn't need to think hard on what it was.

"Something wrong, Yang?"

The blonde boxer heaved a long sigh. "It's Ruby. I can't find her anywhere in the ballroom. I tried calling her but she didn't answer."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that too." She admitted. "I was gonna try and look for her… Say, would you mind if I tagged along?"

"Of course not!" Yang exclaimed. "In fact, I think I could use some help…"

"You really think Ruby's in trouble?"

"Tan, she doesn't need to actively look for trouble. I mean, _come on_ ; you know us, trouble follows us all the time!"

"Heh, good point." Tanya snickered. "Anyway, where do you want to start?"

"Maybe we should check out our dorm first?" Yang suggested. "If we're lucky, she'll be there, napping or something."

"Okay, let's go then."

Both girls headed to the dorm building, the clicks of the high heel shoes echoing throughout the hallway.

Used to wearing heels, Tanya was easily jogging all the way to their destination. Yang tried keeping up with her but eventually gave up after she tripped over her own feet and nearly fell flat on her face. After that she took her shoes off and continued barefoot.

"Didn't you say you were used to wearing these?" The fencer teased.

"I said I could walk no problem! Trying to run in _these_ is a Dust-damned suicide!" Yang grumbled. "Maybe if I wore them every day I'd have no problem with that!"

About ten minutes later the two of them made it to the dorm room. Then it was a quick jog to the top store where the first years had their rooms.

"I sure hope Ruby's in our room!" Yang huffed as she ran up the stairs. "She didn't pick up her Scroll when I tried calling her and she _never_ turns her Scroll off!"

"Let's hope she made an exception this time!" Tanya replied. "I don't even know where to begin to search if she really vanished somewhere!"

 _A first year Huntress prodigy going missing… what a great ending to a fun evening._

As almost all students were at the dance having fun, the halls of the dormitory building were practically empty. The girls didn't have to worry about knocking someone over… or keeping quiet.

… _Or not._

"Let's keep the noise down!" Tanya whispered, grabbing Yang's arm. "The other half of our team's sleeping right now; we don't want to wake them up, okay?"

Yang nodded slowly. "Right… You said they were sick?"

"No, just Desmond. Nick's looking after him." The fencer wasn't about to tell her about the 'syringe incident' yesterday. It was a small miracle that the big guy didn't completely destroy the room in his fit of panic. "So, we're checking out your place first?"

"Yeah, that's my only idea." The blonde nodded. They walked to the RWBY's dorm. "Maybe a training room… but who'd go sparring at this time?"

Yang pulled the Scroll out of her cleavage (Tanya tried her hardest not to look) and unlocked the door.

The pale light from the hallway illuminated the portion of the room where Ruby and Weiss' "bunk beds" were placed. There was a small figure sprawled over the bottom bed, clad in a _very familiar_ red cocktail dress.

"Never mind. I think we found her."

Tanya said dryly as she stared at the young leader of team RWBY collapsed on Weiss' bed, sound asleep. Her dress was all creased and messed up and her shoes were tossed carelessly at the feet of the bed.

Yang shook her head in bewilderment. "Didn't think the dance would wear her out that much." She walked quietly to the nightstand and picked up Ruby's Scroll. It was turned off. "No wonder she wouldn't answer." She mused. "But why would she turn it off?" Then she spied a familiar rectangular piece of metal lying nearby. "And what is Crescent Rose doing here?"

Tanya offered no answer, too distracted by the sight of the sleeping scythe wielder.

A light snore emanated from the girl. There was drool gathered at one corner of her mouth. _Just what has she been doing?_ _She barely even danced tonight…_ It didn't stop Tanya from taking a picture of the sleeping girl, though.

"She looks _so_ adorable…" She giggled quietly. She wanted to make one more photo but was interrupted when Yang laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, we should let her sleep."

Tanya was kind of surprised that Yang was in such hurry to leave all of a sudden but didn't argue with her. Ruby needed her sleep; hell, she couldn't even make it to her own bed.

They quietly left RWBY's room and made sure not to slam the door.

"Okay, now that your sister's okay we can go back to the- the…" Tanya trailed off when she noticed Yang staring intently at her. Slightly furrowed eyebrows, narrowed eyes, the slightest rise in temperature; she knew instantly that this didn't bode well. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Funny you should ask, Griffon." The smile Yang gave her was _far_ from friendly. And then there was the fact she called her by her _last name._

"What did I do?"

"Nothing yet… but I can't be too careful when it comes to _my sister._ "

"What's this about Ruby?" The fencer asked cautiously.

"I couldn't help it but notice how you were hanging out with Ruby for most of the evening,"

 _Oh yeah? You gotta have some really bad sight, then._

"Not to mention how… _handsy_ you were getting with her while you were dancing."

And just like that, any fear Tanya might've felt evaporated within an instant. _So_ this _is what it's all about?!_

"Yang, I mean no offense but… _Are you fucking kidding me?!_ " She took great care to keep her voice low but it didn't make her sound any less angry, though.

"Don't get snappy with me, Griffon!" Yang fired back. "It makes perfect sense, especially after your _big_ revelation."

Tanya bit back a frustrated growl. This was getting _ridiculous…_ "Oh, so now me hanging out with her is just my way of getting into her panties, huh? I guess there _is_ a grain of truth to what people say about blondes!"

Yang bristled at the hidden insult. "Excuse me?"

"Just shut up and listen, Xiao Long! Ruby and I are just friends; I have no romantic interest in her. You understand what I'm saying or should I put it even _simpler terms,_ since you're incapable of listening to reason _?_ "

How Yang came to this conclusion was completely beyond her.

The busty boxer narrowed her eyes at her. "So you didn't call her 'cute' on multiple occasions, I take it?"

Tanya rolled her eyes in exasperation; she was seriously getting fed up with this shit. "I won't even bother asking where you learned that. And for your information, _yes_ , I did call her 'cute'… and 'adorable', and 'sweet'. _So what?!"_ Yang was visibly seething at this point but the fencer didn't care. "Just because I compliment a girl doesn't mean I want to sleep with her, and I'm not pursuing a relationship with your _cute, sweet_ little sister. For God's sake, it's not like she's into girls, anyway!"

"You can't know that!" Yang fired back, pausing for a moment. Then she added a weary "I know I don't…"

"Uh, what?" Her anger subsided, now she was just confused. "How can you _not know_ your sister's sexual orientation?"

For a good several seconds Yang didn't say a word. Her anger began slowly ebbing away when she spoke again. "With mom gone and dad away on the job most of the time, I was usually the one caring for Ruby. And as the big sister, I always protected her; from bullies at school and later, when we hit the teenage years, from boys that tried to make a pass on her." The blonde smiled thinly. "I don't know if you noticed by Ruby is still kind of a dork, you know, almost clueless when it comes to relationship and intimacy, and a few years ago it used to be even worse."

Tanya couldn't help it but snicker at the very apt description. "Yeah, I've seen that. And it was even worse?"

"You don't know the half of it." Yang chuckled. "Back at Signal, there were some guys that were coming on to her and, well, she didn't get what they wanted with her. It just went completely over her head which really put them off; good for them, though 'cause it spared them the beating from _me_. And she never really showed any interest in guys… or girls, now that I think about it. I don't really know if she's asexual or just _that_ innocent-"

"Or you just coddled her so much that it didn't occur to her to think about it." Tanya said, carefully observing the blonde's reaction.

"I didn't _coddle_ her!" Yang protested. "I just didn't want anyone to take advantage of her, especially when she barely knew anything about the 'adult stuff'!"

In all honesty, Tanya felt a bit insulted. She never even thought of using someone in such way and it really irked her being accused, albeit indirectly, of such thing. "So your solution was to keep her away from any and all 'adult stuff', right?" Yang's expression at that moment basically said 'guilty as charged'. "Does she even know where babies come from or she still thinks that storks and crows bring 'em or something?"

"Oh God no!" Yang refuted. "I already had 'the talk' with her and… she found it gross." _Why am I not surprised…_ Tanya chortled internally. "But at least she knows the whole deal and will be more careful, right?"

"Hey, maybe you should talk more with her about this rather than beat up everyone that tries chatting up your sis." The fencer suggested. "Not that I'm one of them, of course; I like Ruby but not in 'that' way."

"Yeah, you said _that_ already." Yang huffed. "Look, my sister won't get her heart broken by some asshole who only wants to sleep with her-"

"Yes, I agree, but it should be more about talking about this topic than doing stuff behind her back! Seriously, this thing you do, this whole-" The fencer mimicked Yang's voice. "' _Sis I love you and I'll make it my personal mission to make sure no dick gets anywhere near you until_ I _deem them worthy of your purity'_ stuff's just gonna screw things up-" Yang started cackling hysterically at that until she caught herself and toned her laughter down (with considerable effort, though). "I mean, when she finds someone she definitely won't appreciate you interfering with her relationship. You get what I'm saying?" Tanya was definitely not amused by Yang desperately trying to choke back laughter. "Okay, _Blondie_ , time to cool down; it wasn't _that_ funny."

"I just can't help it; they way you said it was just hysterical." The blonde giggled. "Look, I get what you're saying ; it's just that…" She suddenly trailed off as a realization hit her. "Did you just insinuate that I sleep around?!" She accused, pointing a finger at the other girl.

… _Oops?_ "To be fair, you accused me of trying to seduce your sister, which I totally do not, so we're even." Tanya retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"… Sometimes I hate how smart you are, Griffon." Yang grumbled. "Okay, I apologize for accusing you of trying to corrupt my sister's innocence."

"And I'm sorry for indirectly calling you a loose woman." The fencer held out her hand. "Are we good?"

Yang stared at the outstretched hand for a second before taking it. "We're good." She smiled as she shook hands with Griffon.

"So… we should probably go back to the ballroom before the rest of the gang starts freaking out."

"Good idea." Suddenly, Yang bolted to the stairs. "Race you there!"

Tanya chuckled and took off after her. "Challenge accepted, Blondie!"

The night was still young and there was still a lot of fun to have.

* * *

Author's note: _So there goes another oneshot: you can thank Mr._ WhichOneIsWill _(thanks for reviewing btw) for this one. It was his idea and he gets the credit for it :-)_

 _Anyway, I have to apologize in advance for any delay in updating because... A problem came up. Besides the RWBY series I'm also writing an Elder Scrolls fanfic. The thing is - I had a new chapter ready to upload today but... I dunno how it happened but all text is_ gone _. A whole damn week of writing flushed down the fucking toilet all because of some freak accident. Right now I'm looking for any backups I might have but it looks I'll have to do that shit all fucking over again. I'm seriously very pissed off right now and you'll have to forgive me if I'm not in the mood for writing stuff for a few days. Just a headsup._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	3. Snowstorm

Chapter 3 – Snowstorm

 _Canon_

 _Genre: action_

 _Time: After the Breach, before the events of 'The night out'_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

Things at Beacon went back to normal pretty quickly after the Breach was contained three days ago; back to studying, back to classes, back to training. Ironwood's fleet still hung above Vale City, ready to join the fight should it ever come down to that. Preparations for the Vytal Festival were still underway, uninterrupted by the Grimm attack. As far as the Vale council was concerned, there was no need to change the routine, even though some may see it differently…

Right now, it was the least of Nicolaus' concerns, though. Once it comes down to yet another crisis, the 'kids' from Beacon will save the day… _as always._ This wasn't arrogance speaking; it seemed that lately the students of Beacon were solving all major problems.. and so far the Atlesians appeared far less competent than one would think.

The fox Faunus straightened up in his seat as his partner nudged his side and interrupted his chain of thought.

"Pay attention, Nick; you don't want Goodwitch to catch you napping!"

Of course, Desmond still hasn't quite gotten over his fear of the blonde Professor.

"I wasn't sleeping; I was _thinking._ That's different." He told the blonde titan sitting next to him. He didn't seem to buy his answer but didn't say anything about it.

One simply does not fall asleep during the _combat class._

Just a few minutes ago, the entire auditorium witnessed a magnificent finish of the match between Pyrrha Nikos and Yatsuhashi Daiichi.

It sure was an interesting fight to watch. Once again Pyrrha lived up to her reputation as the 'Goddess of victory' though unlike the four-on-one match against team CRDL she had to put considerably more effort into defeating the giant swordsman that faced her. This was one of the few times an opponent actually managed to score a serious hit on her. Pyrrha was a smart girl, though and she seemed to enjoy a challenge. Instead of lashing out blindly, she allowed Yatsu to go on the offensive, waiting for him to make one wrong move.

And it was just one wrong move that cost him the match.

That moment came when after minutes of playing cat and mouse Yatsu decided to go all out and end the fight that was dragging on for longer than he'd like. He'd feint another ground pound, a devastating swing of the sword on the ground that would create a strong shockwave and stagger everyone nearby, something Pyrrha knew to avoid. As soon as the girl executed a backward handspring to evade the attack, he instead performed a wide diagonal slash, hoping to catch her off guard and leave her vulnerable to a potentially devastating follow-up attack.

The thought of defeating the renown 'invincible girl' was simply too tempting. Little did he know that he was in for one ugly surprise…

The moment her boots touched the floor Pyrrha dropped down and rolled backwards, throwing her shield up in the process… just in time for Yatsu's heavy sword to make contact with it. It looked like he put way too much force into the blow because when it bounced off the shield, the momentum it still carried threw him off balance.

Only Pyrrha's closest friends knew that she used her Polarity to make it _look_ that way.

Spying a perfect opening, the Invincible girl bolted forward.

Yatsu knew too well that whether he recovered or not, he'd still be pretty much screwed.

Pyrrha lashed out and landed a hit right on his exposed side. Nothing he did could stop her as she continued with her relentless onslaught until his Aura was whittled under fifteen percent.

Hers was still way above _fifty._

"And the winner is Pyrrha Nikos!" Professor Goodwitch had announced. At this point, nobody was really surprised.

Nicolaus tuned out her evaluation of the match, only springing back in attention when Desmond broke him out of his daydreaming.

The professor adjusted her glasses. "We still have enough time for one more match. If there aren't any volunteers…" She glanced around the audience, scoffing slightly when nobody raised their hand. "Very well, then… For the next match, I'd like to call up Weiss Schnee and Tanya Griffon, please."

The girls in question stood up and walked to the arena.

"Make us proud, boss!" Nicolaus called out to his team leader, receiving a thumbs-up and a smile in response.

The other team didn't hesitate to show their support of their teammate. "Go Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Show her who's the boss!" Roby hollered, earning a rather sour look from Roland.

"Come on, Tan, you can take her!" The gunman roared.

 _This is gonna be an interesting fight,_ Nicolaus mused quietly.

The last time Tanya fought the heiress, which was about a month ago, it didn't end well for her. When it came to swordplay alone, Tanya's skill rivaled Weiss'; unlike her, she also wielded two blades at once. However, the heiress was a skilled Dust user and those glyphs of hers were a pain in the ass… and he was speaking from experience. At that time, Tanya didn't even know her Semblance which probably contributed heavily to her ultimate defeat.

Well, the situation was different now, though.

Tanya was attending private consultations with Goodwitch to help her gain control over her 'Aeromancy', as her newfound Semblance was called. She was making pretty quick progress though nobody outside team TNDR knew about it. This was a very good time to demonstrate the results of her hard work.

 _Let's see you handle her_ now, _Ice Queen…_

The combatants met in the center of the arena. The spectators finally quieted down so one could clearly hear their conversation.

"So, here we are again." Weiss said conversationally. "One time wasn't enough for you?" She wasn't trying to be mean or anything but old habits die hard; like the one when she knew she was better than the other person she wouldn't hesitate to rub it in their face.

Tanya passed her mocking remark with a lopsided smirk. "Don't get too comfortable on that high horse of yours; it's gonna hurt pretty bad once you fall right on your ass."

"Hmph, we'll see."

"Ladies, if you're done chit-chatting," Goodwitch cut in. "Are you ready?"

Both girls nodded in response.

"You know the routine; take your positions and wait for the signal."

Weiss put her foot forward and narrowed her eyes at her opponent, her rapier slightly raised.

Tanya leaned forward and lowered herself a bit, her legs bent in the knees.

The dead silence lasted for only few more seconds; then the professor barked "Begin!"

* * *

The moment Goodwitch gave the signal Tanya bolted forward.

The corners of Weiss' mouth twitched upwards. _So predictable…_

Her opponent was only few paces away from her when she conjured up a glyph to shield her from the incoming blow. Tanya was coming in too fast to stop in time; the heiress chuckled as she pictured the image of the Pirate Queen bouncing off her glyph.

At the last possible second, Tanya leapt to the side and dropped into a roll. When she jumped back to her feet she was right on the heiress' right side; since Weiss was left-handed this situation could prove dangerous.

 _At least she isn't completely airheaded,_ Weiss thought, spinning around to block an incoming attack from the other girl.

They crossed blade for a second, Weiss' rapier against one of Tanya's sabers. Then the Pirate Queen suddenly pulled back and sidestepped, momentarily disrupting Weiss' balance. She swiftly regained it and turned around to continue the assault against her opponent-

-only to find out she was gone.

"Catch me if you can, _Ice Queen!_ "

To her surprise, Griffon was on the other end of the arena, waving at her with a lopsided smirk.

 _Oh you better pray that I don't…_

Weiss responded to the taunt by stabbing her rapier down; the moment its tip made contact with the floor a bright blue zigzagging line of electric current shot forward, heading towards the other combatant. Griffon managed to dodge the lightning bolt at the last possible moment. While the electricity failed to hit her with full power, it still grazed her, draining her Aura down by five percent. She clenched her teeth as all muscles in her body seized up for a moment and caused her to stumble.

And the heiress was quick to take advantage of that.

With the help of her Glyphs, she launched herself towards her distract opponent, Myrtenaster poised to strike.

Tanya felt a brief surge of panic when she saw the heiress closing in very quickly for a possibly devastating hit. Only the use of her own Semblance saved her from being skewered by her rapier. A small burst of wind moved her out of the incoming attack at the last possible moment.

Weiss was shocked that her opponent somehow managed to dodge… then her eyes widened almost comically as she realized her latest attack brought her dangerously close to the edge of the arena. Cursing herself for her stupid mistake, she used another Glyph to slow herself down, managing to stop mere inches from the edge.

That 'miscalculation' almost cost her the match. _If Dad saw this he'd never stop giving me grief about it…_

The heiress forced herself to focus on the matters at hand. If she wanted to win this fight, she had to act quickly. Griffon might've lost the last fight but she was by no means a pushover. And judging by how she dodged the attacks that would knock everyone else out, she was definitely getting better.

Whirling around she launched yet another attack… only for her rapier to be stopped by two familiar sabers crossed at the hilt.

"You really want to be the best, huh?" Weiss found herself grinding her teeth at the teasing edge in Tanya's voice. "Oh wait a moment… _Second_ best! Forgot about Pyrrha, sorry!"

"Do you _really_ have to joke around during a fight?!" The Schnee fumed.

The Pirate Queen pouted in response. "Can't a girl have fun from time to time?"

"You have a seriously twisted idea of 'fun'!" The heiress groaned in exertion as she tried to push back against the sabers.

Griffon chuckled, even while locking blades with her. "Or maybe you're just _that_ old-fashioned!"

Weiss knew that in a contest of strength alone, Griffon would defeat her. Her best bet was using what her opponent lacked: talent for using Dust and her Glyphs.

Breaking the blade lock, Weiss conjured up a glyph right underneath her feet and propelled herself high in the air with the grace perfectly becoming of an heiress.

The same couldn't be said for Tanya, however. Caught off guard by Weiss' maneuver, she was sent tumbling through the air and ended up lying spread-eagled on her back.

Weiss summoned another glyph above her and used it to propel herself back towards her opponent. It was a move similar to one she performed seconds earlier… but Griffon would never expect an attack from _above._

To her credit, the Pirate Queen recovered quickly, jumping back to her feet seconds after being downed… but the heiress was very sure it was too late for her to dodge again.

Maybe that was the reason why she was so surprised when Tanya used some kind of invisible force to shoot upwards, mere moments before the inevitable hit (or so she thought). It was only the last moment use of a glyph that kept Weiss from landing face first on the floor and thus embarrassing herself in front of the whole class.

Somewhere behind her, her opponent landed on her feet with a dull thud.

At this point, Weiss was fighting to keep her frustration at bay. This was a second time that insufferable wannabe pirate managed to avoid a fatal hit. She was pretty sure that some in the audience were laughing at her. And what would her father think if he saw her struggling against an inferior opponent?

Though after what she saw, maybe Tanya wasn't as 'inferior' as she thought…

Quick footsteps behind her broke her chain of thought. She spun around just in time to block a vicious slash from her opponent.

 _Alright, time to get serious._

Sparks began flying everywhere as Weiss and Tanya exchanged blows at a breakneck pace.

The heiress was using her glyphs to enhance her mobility and to negate Griffon's advantage of an extra blade. However, her opponent actually managed to keep up the pace she set, much to her annoyance. This was supposed to be easy, at least relatively. She wasn't in control of the fight and she didn't like it one bit. Plus, Tanya's newfound ability really bugged her. Did she actually learn to use Dust to even the chances? Or was it her Semblance she never talked about? And if so, why didn't she use it in the last match? Was it because she didn't know it at the time or she simply chose not to?

The latter option irritated her more than anything; she hated when people didn't take her seriously.

 _No more playing nice._

Foregoing another attack, Weiss placed a black glyph right underneath her opponent's feet, wincing slightly as a saber grazed her side. Tanya then tried to follow up with another slash but suddenly halted dead in her tracks, after she realized she couldn't move… almost as if her feet were rooted to the floor.

She glanced down and frowned at the sight of a black glyph holding her in place.

"Not fair-" She was promptly cut off when a white glyph materialized right in front of her and sent her flying backwards the moment the black glyph restraining her feet vanished.

Weiss didn't have the time to take delight in the utter shock written all over her opponent's face as she was being blasted away.

 _Time to finish this!_

The heiress conjured another glyph behind her opponent who was currently airborne, flailing her limbs uselessly. Once she made contact with it she would be flung back in the opposite direction and right into Weiss' rapier.

Alas, as people say, no plan ever survives past first contact with an enemy.

Tanya somehow managed to use her powers, whose nature Weiss was yet to discover, to turn in the air so she'd land feet first on the glyph behind her.

Suddenly, Weiss was the one dodging as Griffon came back at her like a giant projectile. By some stroke of luck she managed to avoid the sabers. Seeing her plan backfiring only seemed to fuel her determination to win this match, though.

When she renewed her assault, even a skilled fencer like Tanya was taken aback by the sheer ferocity of her attacks.

Griffon had to abandon all attempts at retaliating and focused on blocking and evading the offending rapier. If she ever tried striking back it was only to keep the Ice Queen from using her glyphs… or her Dust. It didn't work every time though and she found herself taking a few hits or being flung across the arena, with only the precise use of her Semblance keeping her from sailing over its edge.

But her tactic was serving its purpose. The fight was dragging on for minutes and the heiress was starting to get tired. Sure, Weiss still retained over eighty percent of her Aura while she was down to fifty but as long as she kept up her defenses and let Weiss waste her strength trying to break through them she would be fine.

Plus the look of frustration on her face was priceless.

"Look at me, Ice Queen!" She taunted, parrying another swipe. "I'm not even winded!"

The heiress suddenly backed away, using a glyph to speed up her retreat.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already, Ice Queen!" The Pirate Queen called out to her, glancing meaningfully at her weapons. "Hey, I can put one of them away, if you want!"

"Griffon, you seriously need to _cool_ down!"

Before she even got to ask what she meant by that, Weiss stabbed her rapier in the floor. For a split second, a glyph appeared right under Tanya's feet… only to be replaced moment later by large ice crystals that encased her legs up to her knees, leaving her immobile.

 _Huh, never thought I'd hear the Ice Queen crack a joke…_

Tanya did the first thing she could think of; turn her sabers into SMGs and start firing at the ice around her legs. The bullets shattered much of the crystals that trapped her in place but also chipped away a few percent of her Aura.

It was a bit too slow, though… and Weiss was speeding towards her again, the tip of Myrtenaster heading right for her midsection.

Left with no other option, Tanya directed her Aura into her legs and the floor beneath her, unleashing a powerful blast of wind that catapulted her upwards, breaking the ice trapping her feet and knocking the attacking heiress on the floor.

At this point Weiss was seething with barely contained rage. Yet another of her moves failed and worse, she was left with a thoroughly bruised posterior.

 _I really need to ask Griffon about that new power of hers after this is over…_

The heiress scrambled quickly to her feet; she couldn't give her opponent the opportunity to strike while she was down.

She was a second too late, however. The second she got up, Griffon was already on her, landing a hit that sent her stumbling backwards. Weiss struggled to regain her balance, knowing too well she was facing disaster. She was disoriented, winded and her limbs felt heavy. Her endurance was never really great and now it was coming back to bite her.

 _I swear I'll start jogging every morning… starting tomorrow…_

Using the little strength she had left Weiss deflected the saber aiming for her chest and thrusther rapier at the offender.

Tanya pivoted to the left, effortlessly evading the attack and struck out on her own, following with another vicious slash of her saber…

And another…

Weiss managed to stop the first few attacks; however, she was too worn out to keep up the pace with Griffon who didn't bear even the slightest hints of exhaustion. Moments later she broke through her guard and started landing hit after hit all over her body.

The heiress had to suffer the humiliation of getting the snot beaten out of her for several seconds until her Aura finally sank below fifteen percent.

The professor Goodwitch stepped in and ended the torment. "And the winner of the match is Tanya Griffon."

Weiss collapsed on the floor, sighing in resignation. She ignored the applause from the spectators; it wasn't like it was meant for her, anyway…

"You've made a significant progress since your last bout with Miss Schnee." Goodwitch stated. "Your creativity in using your Semblance is commendable. However, your fighting style still could use some improvements; you missed some very good opportunities to end this fight earlier and you're being too reckless at times, which leads to you taking unnecessary hits. Plus, while you utilized the 'outlasting' tactic well in this particular fight, it might prove very risky while employed against an opponent of unknown capabilities; best you keep that in mind."

"Got it, professor." Griffon nodded.

 _So it_ was _her Semblance, after all,_ Weiss thought.

"As for you, Miss Schnee," The heiress didn't meet the professor's gaze. "you were too overconfident and impatient, which your opponent turned against you. I next time you act more deliberately instead of on impulse next time… And you should learn to read your opponent so you can better predict their actions."

Weiss simply nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. She slowly picked herself from the floor; her legs felt like jelly and for a moment she was worried that they might give out. Much to her relief, she was able to leave the arena on her own.

She was pretty sure she'd die of embarrassment if they had to carry her out.

Tanya joined her side as she walked back to her team. "So the score is one to one." The Pirate Queen said nonchalantly. "Call me if you're feeling up for the tiebreaker."

The heiress wanted to be angry with her but didn't find it in herself. There was no reason to be, anyway. If it was anyone else to defeat her, they wouldn't hesitate to rub it in her face. Griffon wasn't like that, though. Aside from her comment about a 'tiebreaker' she didn't make a big deal out of her victory.

"I'll consider that." She finally said with a tired smile.

 _Yep, there's always the next time._

* * *

Author's note: _Ladies and gentlemen, I give you another chapter inspired by an idea from_ WhichOneIsWill _; thank him for this idea!_

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	4. You are what you eat

Chapter 4 – You are what you eat

 _Canon_

 _Genre: humor, friendship_

 _Time: following 'Hunters and life - Snowstorm'_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

"Come on, Gunny, don't be such a wet-blanket! I really wanna see what that ride of yours can do!"

"Yang, for the last time, I'm not interested in some pissing contest that might get both of us in trouble."

"Okay, what's the matter? Afraid you'd lose?" He could literally _hear_ the smirk on her face.

The entire walk to the dorms, Yang has been trying her damnedest to challenge Roland to a race; his car versus her bike. The gunman rejected her challenge at first… and the second time and then every time she asked. He had several reasons for that. Unfortunately, the buxom boxer wouldn't be brushed off that easily.

"This has nothing to do with fear of losing." Roland objected. "I'm simply not interested in losing my driving license within the first month."

"Funny; you weren't worried about that while we were chasing Torchwick around the freeway."

He rolled his eyes; of course she'd bring that up. "That was an emergency, Yang; completely different. And you do remember the chewing out we got from Goodwitch." He shuddered a bit at the memory. Seriously, that woman is, like, a half-cougar and half-shark.

"You had a cop in your car! _A freaking cop!_ "

"A cop that gave me an order to pursue; you're not helping your case, Blondie." He had to suppress a smirk as Yang pouted at him. "Besides, I _know_ I'd lose so why should I try and risk losing my papers?"

"You can't know that!" Yang protested.

Roland barked a laugh. "Come on! My car is five times as heavy as your Bumblebee; that's hardly a fair competition."

The blonde wouldn't give up, though. "It also has twice as much horsepower!"

"Yeah, like if that makes all the difference." Roland scoffed. "Yang, think whatever you will; I'm not looking for trouble with both Vale Police and Goodwitch. One time was enough."

"You're such a bore, Peregrine." Yang pouted. "What's a girl supposed to do to have fun around here?"

"I dunno; there's, like, plenty of choices." He shrugged. "Abuse the punching bag, go for a swim, go on a bike trip… _blow up a club._ "

Yang slugged him in the shoulder. She didn't use her full strength of course, but it still kind of hurt. "That wasn't even remotely funny."

"It's funny to me, Yang," The gunman chortled. "I mean, you gotta admit it's a really weird pastime."

"It's not a pastime!" The blonde protested. "I was taking care of some business and the owner thought messing with me was a good idea-" She was promptly cut off mid-sentence when someone ran into her. Both of them fell on the ground in a heap.

"Oopsies, sorry!" Came an awkward giggle.

Of course, Nora Valkyrie, the powerhouse of team JNPR; always energetic like no one else. In fact, so energetic that it was dangerous to both physical _and_ mental health.

"It's cool, Nora. No harm done." Yang said as she picked herself off the ground. "Where were you speeding to, anyway?"

"We're gonna have an eating contest!" Nora squaled, bouncing on her heels in excitement.

"Um, who's 'we'?" Roland butted in. "I don't see anyone else."

"Huh?" Nora glanced around, frowning once she realized that her 'company' was nowhere in sight. "Ugh, why is everyone _so slow_ today?"

"You know, it's pretty hard to keep up with you when you're excited." Yang snickered. "Which probably means that whatever you're about to do is gonna be really good."

"You bet your fun-buns it is!" Nora beamed. Roland found it extremely hard not to burst out laughing right there. _Fun-buns… Oh I gotta remember this one!_ "It's a _pancake_ eating contest! Desi's already in on that, too!"

He wasn't really surprised to hear that Desmond would partake in something like that.

Yang looked definitely intrigued. "That sounds _delicious_ … can I join?"

The bomber nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I'll always welcome another poor sap to crush!"

The blonde scoffed. "Is that a challenge?" She said, leaning closer to the redhead. "You better ready yourself 'cuz I'm gonna make you _eat_ those words, Valkyrie."

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, Xiao Long!"

Roland simply watched as the girls stared each other down. _This is either gonna be really good, or really bad… Someone better have buckets ready._

* * *

The Beacon gang was gathered in the dormitory kitchen. The usually neat and tidy place was now a mess. The kitchen nook was covered in a fine layer of flour as the cooks worked at almost frantic pace to make enough pancakes for the competition. Tables where the competitors sat were placed in the middle of the room. Yang, Desmond and Nora were waiting to get started. Their teammates were standing around, a few of them holding bags with snacks.

Weiss was grinding her teeth at the mess in the kitchen. "I hope you'll have at least the decency to clean up after yourselves!"

"We'll take care of everything." Yang drawled lazily. "Don't get your panties in a twist, _princess._ "

"I brought some buckets with me, in case someone couldn't keep the pancakes down." Nicolaus said dryly and held up a couple of plastic buckets. Behind his back, Nora gasped, her eyes widening in horror at the thought of someone wasting such delicious meal.

The rest of them grimaced at his implication. "Let's hope it won't come to _that._ " Blake muttered.

"Guys, what's the prize for whoever wins?" Tanya asked.

Desmond gasped. "Oh my god, we totally forgot about that!"

"Bragging rights, duh!" Nora exclaimed.

"No, that's just you guys being lazy!" Ruby protested. "We need something more, uh-"

Before she could finish Ruby got interrupted by Jaune barging into the kitchen, holding two shopping bags filled to the brim. "I'm back with the supplies!" He announced loudly.

"Good," Lie Ren looked away from his work. He wore a cooking apron and was currently preparing another batch of pancakes. "Now get an apron and help me."

Every eye in the room was suddenly on the blonde knight.

"Wait a moment," Weiss said incredulously. "Are you implying that this uncoordinated klutz can actually _cook?!_ "

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Jaune cried indignantly.

"For your information, yes he does, and he's pretty good at it too." Pyrrha stood up to his defense. _Predictable, when you think about it…_

Tanya chuckled. "Looks like Jaune got more from his sisters than just his mad dancing skills." Jaune seemed to blush slightly at the compliment.

"You guys still haven't worked out what the winner gets!" Nicolaus pointed out.

"Yeah I said the same thing but nobody listens to me!" Ruby whined.

"Hey, if you consider just who is competing, there are only gonna be losers… and by 'losers', I mean Ren and Jaune!" Roland joked.

"Ouch, right in the feels!" Jaune exclaimed, putting his hand over his chest in a mocking manner.

Ignoring the gunman's remark, Ren grabbed two plates loaded with pancakes. "So, here's the first batch; no eating until we say 'go'. That goes double for you, Nora."

Nora pouted in response; her favorite treat was so tantalizingly close and she couldn't even touch it! Talk about ' _fair'…_

"Very well, it's time we laid down some rules." Ren said as Jaune put another two batches of pancakes on the table. "All of you get thirty minutes of time from the 'GO' signal. Whoever manages to eat the most pancakes and to _not vomit_ within five minutes past the time limit wins the competition."

"But what about the prize?" Ruby protested, stomping her foot in indignation. "You can't run a competition like this without a prize!"

"We'll work it out later, sis." Yang drawled.

Ren cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "So, this obviously means we'll need someone to write down the score." Then he looked at one certain heiress. "You've been volunteered, Weiss."

"What? Why me?" Weiss objected.

"Because you're the most punctual of us all." The compliment didn't seem to improve her sour mood so Ren threw in a little, ahem, _incentive._ "I can help you with that project you seem to be struggling with."

As if someone snapped their fingers, Weiss brightened up. "Oh, why didn't you say so? I'll get right on that; just need to find something to write on..."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Roland said "Never thought you'd be the one to bribe people, Ren."

"It's not 'bribing', it's 'motivating'." Ren answered coolly.

"Right…" The gunman intoned, not buying the excuse.

"So… If no one has any questions, I'm giving Pyrrha the permission to start the competition." Ren finished and walked back to the kitchen nook. "Come one Jaune. I reckon we still have much to do."

No amount of pancakes was safe from Nora's hunger. Safe to say they wouldn't be stopping until the contest was over.

Pyrrrha cleared her throat. "So, are the competitors re-"

Nora didn't even let her finish. "Just start it already! I wanna win this thing!"

"Oh we'll see about that, Pinky-toe!" Yang chuckled, narrowing her eyes at the pile of pancakes before her.

"Um, very well then…"Pyrrha already knew that Nora always became overenthusiastic at mere mention of pancakes but she was still surprised at being shouted down like this. "On your marks…"

Weiss walked into the kitchen, holding a small jotter and a pen.

"Get set…"

The competitors traded brief glances.

"And… G-"

Pyrrha was interrupted again by one particular monkey Faunus that chose that exact moment to barge into the kitchen.

"WASSUP LOS-" Sun Wukong cut himself off as he beheld the scene before him. "What's that? You have a pancake party and no one invited me?"

"Um, it's actually a contest-" Ruby piped up.

"Can I join?"

One could hear a pin drop in the dead silence that ensued.

Then after a few seconds Yang shrugged. "Um, sure I guess." She then turned to her rivals. "Come on, guys. Let's make some room."

Nobody paid any notice to Jaune who whimpered in despair.

* * *

It took a while to set things up so Sun could also partake in the contest.

First off, they had to get another table because there was no more space at the one they already had. And before that the gang argued for good several minutes about who should lend the piece of furniture from their room. In the end, team TNDR decided to make a sacrifice, just to get things moving.

Still, they were taking too long and Nora grew seriously annoyed by the seemingly endless stalling. In that time, Jaune and Ren kept working tirelessly and by the time when the contest was finally ready to start, they had finished another two batches of pancakes.

"Okay… looks like everything's finally in place." Pyrrha said tiredly, glancing around the kitchen.

Competitors? Check.

Pancakes? Check.

Spectators? Check.

At some point, Blake and Nicolaus left somewhere while the rest of the gang was arguing. The two of them returned with several bags of snacks; popcorn, chips, crackers, you name it. It seemed strange how quickly they obtained the food though no one questioned them about it.

"If no one else wants to join…" Pyrrha waited a few seconds to make sure nobody would barge in like the last time. "Then may the biggest stomach win! On your marks, get set, GO!"

The moment she finished, Yang, Desmond, Nora and Sun began shoveling pancakes into their mouths at a frantic pace. Drops of syrup and bits of pancake batter were suddenly spraying all over the kitchen, prompting the spectators to take a good few steps away.

* * *

 _1 minute…_

The pile of pancakes was disappearing faster than anyone would expect.

The four contestants kept eating, showing no signs of slowing down. Weiss had a hard time writing down the score. Their teammates and friends cheered, each team rooting for their member.

"GO YANG!"

"Steal their thunder, Desi!" Yang giggled at Griffon's cry and almost started choking since her mouth was literally overflowing with pancakes.

Weiss gagged as chewed up batter began dripping from Yang's mouth.

"Show them who's boss, Nora!" Jaune cheered, only to be cut off by Ren.

"I'd appreciate it if you helped me instead of watching!"

Since the rest of his team was Oum-knows-where, Sun winked at Blake. "Blakey!~ Root for me, please?" He tried saying but the words came out of his full mouth as a bunch of garbled unintelligible sounds.

"Maybe if you stop talking with your mouth full…" Blake teased.

"So, the score so far is;" Weiss announced, trying her hardest not to look at the quartet of guzzlers. "Two for Yang, three for both Desmond and Sun, and four for Nora!"

It was pretty impressive that Sun could actually keep up with the others. He didn't even seem worried that the excessive amount of pastry could ruin his figure…

* * *

 _5 minutes…_

"So… Nora's currently in the lead with score eleven, Sun and Desmond are keeping up, having eaten ten pancakes each," Weiss droned, scribbling in her jotter. "And it seems Yang is lagging behind, her score a meager eight!"

Yang wasn't capable of talking so she simply showed the heiress her middle finger.

Weiss rolled her eyes, passing the rude gesture over without comment.

At that point, the spectators had quieted down; instead of screaming themselves hoarse, they settled on watching the contestants and munching on snacks their Faunus friends provided… by means that they refused to share.

Yang burped loudly mid-bite, eliciting a few snickers from the audience. As much as she fought to remain in the game, it was pretty clear that she was slowly being outclassed. By the time she managed to cram the ninth pancake down her throat, the boys had eleven each and Nora was finishing the thirteenth.

"Oh man, she doesn't look good." Roland observed. "I think she'll need a bucket soon."

"Oh she won't quit anytime soon; she's too stubborn for that." Weiss remarked, watching her blonde teammate devour her tenth pancake with noticeable difficulty. Unfortunately for her, other three eaters were still going strong.

"You can do it, Yang!" Ruby screamed. "Make team RWBY proud!"

"Too bad for you, gals; Nora's got this." Jaune said smugly, earning a whack upside his head from Ren.

"Stop loafing around, Jaune; the pancakes are disappearing faster than I can make them!"

* * *

 _10 minutes…_

As minutes went by it became painfully obvious that Yang was running out of strength. With her sheer willpower she managed to conquer the thirteenth pancake but then her stomach seemed to give up. While other three eaters were still in the game devouring everything Ren and Jaune put on their plates, Yang just swayed unsteadily on the chair, breathing heavily and holding her stomach.

Her eyes drifted to the half-eaten pancake on her plate. Her movements sluggish and heavy, she tore off a small bit and put it in her mouth. She chewed for a bit and tried to swallow. Suddenly her stomach heaved and it took everything for her not to empty it all over the table.

The chain reaction that would undoubtedly follow sure wouldn't be anything pretty.

"Uh, Yang, you feeling alright?" Pyrrha asked worriedly.

"M'kay." The boxer heard herself mumble.

"You sure about that?" Tanya interjected. "You look a little, well, _green._ " Even Weiss looked a little unnerved by the sick look in her face.

Staring somewhere ahead, Yang tore off another piece of pancake. "I told ya I'm fine, guys…" She snapped back in a weak voice.

She never noticed Roland inching closer with a bucket in his hands.

"Stop it, Sis!" Ruby exclaimed, putting the plate away from Yang. "You really don't look good, you should-"

"No!" The boxer protested and tried to reach for the plate. "I said I'd win this thing and that's exaclt what I'll- UUUGGH!" She put a hand over her mouth as a wave of nausea came over her. It felt like if her stomach was doing backflips inside her.

Roland reacted quickly and put the bucket in front of her face. Just in time too, because at that precise moment her stomach finally betrayed her and she threw up… so hard that several bits of half-digested pancakes landed back on her face.

And the guttural half-growl half-cry that tore out of her throat made everyone pause.

"Someone get a napkin!" The gunman called out as Yang proceeded to heave her guts out. Almost everyone in the room had turned away from the sight, except Ruby who was patting her sister's back and whispering something to her.

Jaune started gagging which prompted Pyrrha to fret over him.

Even Desmond looked slightly sick. The goliath of team TNDR pushed the plate away from him. "Guys, I think I've lost my appetite." He said shakily and rose from the table.

Strangely, Nora was the only person undisturbed by the whole spectacle. "Alright, now it's just you and me, monkey boy!" She whispered, narrowing her eyes at her only remaining rival.

"So it seems two of our competitors are out." Weiss said dryly. "Now, only Sun and Nora are still in the game; the score is nineteen for Nora and eighteen for Sun!"

By then, Yang had recovered enough to pull her younger sister into a hug while Blake wiped her face.

"I'm so sorry, baby sis!" The blonde bawled theatrically, oblivious to Ruby struggling in her vice-like grip. "You trusted me, a- and I FAILED YOOOOUUUUU!"

"It's not her fault, really." The heiress butted in. "She simply didn't _have the stomach_ to go on."

Nearly everyone in the room face palmed at the, ahem, _joke_. Except for Ren who had his hands full… Or Roland who went to dispose of Yang's vomit.

Finally releasing her sister from the bear hug, Yang glared at the heiress. "Weiss, you know I love you… but for the love of God, never do that again."

"You guys have no sense of humor." Weiss huffed, pointedly ignoring all the incredulous looks she was getting.

* * *

 _20 minutes…_

It was now a duel between Sun and Nora. The insanely fast pace (for normal people, at least) had slowed down considerably as both contestants were slowly reaching their limit. Amazingly, Sun was able to keep up with the infamous pancake monster Nora was. All in all, the outcome of this competition wasn't as clear as everyone thought.

And there were at least two people that were glad that half of the eaters dropped out; simply because it meant less work for them.

Yang lay on the sofa, holding her stomach and groaning quietly while her sister played the doctor. Someone kept a bucket nearby in case she started throwing up again. "Ugh… Never again…"

Safe to say she wouldn't be even touching pancakes for weeks.

Ruby came in and put a wet towel on her forehead. Without a word, Yang took it and placed it on her stomach instead.

Weiss cleared her throat and squinted at the jotter in her hands. "Let's see… The score is twenty to nineteen, with Nora in the lead. The time runs out in nine minutes so bear that in mind!"

"See that?" Nora exclaimed with her mouth full, narrowing her eyes at her rival. "You're going down, monkey boy!"

"We'll see about that, sugar bomb!" Sun responded in kind.

Among the audience, Roland muttered "I'm amazed that they're still going…"

"Yeah," Nicolaus agreed. "This much sugar can't be good for your health."

"Nora will be fine; sugar's practically flowing through her veins." Blake quipped. "It's Sun I'm more worried about." She didn't notice that the gunman's expression soured for a brief moment.

Tanya regarded the cat Faunus with a knowing smirk. "Worried about him or his _abs?_ "

Blake instantly blushed and started sputtering. Realizing she couldn't reply to that without further embarrassing herself, she turned away with a pout.

"We should worry more about ourselves because, well, I don't think we'll be getting much sleep tonight." Pyrrha commented, subtly pointing at Nora.

Roland snorted. "I think we'll be glad if the dorm building's still standing the next morning."

The gang chuckled at the joke. "Amen to that." Nicolaus said.

Then Desmond walked into the kitchen. He looked better than Yang did, though not much. The goliath shuffled over to a recliner and sat down heavily, like if all energy was drained out of him. "What did I miss, guys?" He asked wearily.

"Nothing much." Tanya shrugged. "Nora's still in the lead, obviously-"

"They're tied!" Weiss suddenly cut in.

That seemed to get everyone's attention.

Ruby suddenly appeared right beside Weiss, eliciting a startled yelp from her. "What did you say?!" She demanded.

"I said they're tied! Twenty one to twenty one!" Even the heiress seemed in awe at the fact.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Blake questioned.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "If you don't believe me, maybe you should've written the score down yourself!"

"I didn't say that!" The cat girl backpedaled. "It's just… _unbelievable._ "

"Either way, this competition got a lot more interesting." Pyrrha summed it up. No one could disagree with that.

* * *

 _25 minutes…_

The spectators were on edge as the battle between Nora and Sun progressed.

The moment Nora realized that her only rival erased the head start she had on him, she tried to speed up. 'Tried' was the keyword here, though. There were five minutes left until the time ran out and she was nearing the end of her strength; Sun, not so much. It was nigh impossible for her to eat any faster. Nora knew it would come down to this sooner or later but she hoped that her rivals would drop out way before that.

Sun surprised her and the girl had to admit that he was better than she thought.

The grudging admiration soon turned into shock when he actually overtook her.

"And it's twenty five to twenty four! _Nora is losing!_ " Weiss exclaimed, trying and failing miserably to retain her cold disinterested tone. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

What followed was a loud cacophony of several voices talking and screaming all at once; team JNPR rooted for Nora while RWBY minus Weiss supported Sun. Team TNDR simply stood on the sideline though it didn't mean they weren't interested in the outcome of the match.

Nora pushed herself to her very limits as she tried to catch up to Sun. There was no way she'd let the monkey boy win this. When it came to devouring pancakes, she was the best of the best. So she started shoveling the pancakes into her mouth like if her life depended on it, ignoring the protests of her overloaded stomach.

"Oh my, Nora's back in the game!" Weiss announced. "The scores are tied _again_ ; twenty seven to twenty seven!"

The crowd around the table was shouting up a storm at this point. Even Sun looked surprised.

 _Oh yeah, I can do this!_ Nora screamed triumphantly in the back of her mind. _I'm gonna win this!_

She was so focused on her goal that she paid no mind to the fact that everything seemed to be quieting down.

Or that darkness began to creep out from the edges of her vision.

She finally finished the pancake number twenty eight. _Take that, Wukong!_

The plate before her seemed to grow in size. _Huh, that's weird… It shouldn't be getting'…_

Then her face met the table.

* * *

Just when the gang thought there was nothing that could surprise them anymore, Nora suddenly tilted forward and faceplanted onto the table desk, much to everyone's shock.

"Oh shit!" Tanya cursed and rushed to the bomber's side along with the rest of team JNPR.

"Is she okay?" Ruby squeaked, on the verge of panic.

Ren pushed the unconscious girl in the sitting position and checked her pulse and breathing. When he finally spoke, he sounded completely bewildered. "Guys… she's actually asleep."

There was a ghost of a smirk on her lips as she snored quietly.

"So, she _literally_ ate herself to sleep." Roland deadpanned. "Un-freakin'-believable."

"I thought it'd make her even more energetic than usual." Pyrrha wondered.

"Yeah, that girl never ceases to amaze me." Ren shrugged. He picked up the sleeping girl and carried her to the sofa.

"Uh, does that mean that Sun won?" Ruby piped up.

"Not yet; the two of them are still tied, despite Nora's, um, _incapacitation._ " Weiss objected. "In order to win, Wukong has to eat one more pancake _and_ keep it all down for the next five minutes."

"You hear that? That's your chance!" Blake whispered to Sun.

The monkey Faunus looked like he was about to pass out too. No wonder; devouring over two dozens of pancakes in one sitting was well beyond what a normal person was capable of doing. Yet his competitiveness wouldn't let him quit… Plus the prospect of gaining the admiration of a beautiful girl he had been crushing on for a while was too good to ignore.

"Okay dude…" Sun muttered to himself. "Mind over matter… Mind over matter…"

Mustering all of his remaining strength, Sun grabbed the lone pancake sitting on his plate and tore it apart, eating the pieces at a frantic pace. His stomach, already filled to the brim, heaved violently but he managed to keep its contents down.

It took some great effort to swallow the last few bites but he did it. Leaning back in his chair, he pumped his fists in the air and let out a cry of "Twenty nine, baby!"

He had half the mind to stand up and bow as the gang clapped and cheered at his incredible feat but decided against it. That kind of movement could do some bad things to his stomach…

"Now you just have to wait five minutes before puking it all up and we can make it official!" Jaune joked.

"Really?!" Sun groaned; he really hoped that this would be the end of it. "Okay, I can do this… no problem… I've had worse…" Though putting on a brave front, Sun was freaking out inside.

 _Oh who am I kidding, this is gonna suck HARD…_

And he was right… Those five minutes were a torture. He put on a smile and tried joking around just to mask how much he was suffering; it felt like if all those pancakes he ate tried to jump out of his body.

He completely lost track of time. Someone had the foresight to bring him a bucket, just in case.

"I realize that you're not done yet but… You thought of your prize for winning yet?" Yang asked at some point.

Sun gave a smile that came off a bit too toothy thanks to the cramps in his stomach. "Well, there's one thing I'd like you losers to do; when I-"

The conversation was suddenly cut short when the most feared person at Beacon Academy walked in.

Everyone in the room simply froze. "H-hello! How are you doing?" Ruby squeaked with a (very) nervous smile.

Professor Goodwitch narrowed her eyes as she took in the sight of the mess in the kitchen. "I find that I have to do this more often than any of us would like." She stated coldly.

"Okay, I gotta ask, professor." Roland spoke up. "Who snitched on us this time?"

"Mr. Peregrine, I don't condone personal vendettas at this school. Why would you think I'd even consider disclosing that information?"

The gunman backed off rather quickly under the professor's glare. "I was just curious!"

"I believe there is a saying: you ask too much, you learn too much." Goodwitch looked around the group of students before her. "Would anyone mind explaining to me what on Remnant are you doing _now?_ "

They shared a glance, very unnerved by her scrutinizing gaze. "Uh… An eating contest?" Jaune finally answered.

"What?" The expression on the professor's face practically radiated bewilderment.

"It's, you know, whoever eats the most of one particular food wins-" Yang tried to explain but Goodwitch cut her off.

"I know what an eating contest is, Miss Xiao Long!"

In the meantime, Sun was fighting back the urge to vomit.

Goodwitch heaved a weary sigh and rubbed her forehead. "Honestly, at this point I don't even see the point in getting angry any longer…" It was obvious she didn't want to be dealing with this. "Just clean up after yourself after you're done; I'll come to check on it personally in an hour."

And with that she turned on her heels and strode away.

For a few seconds there was dead silence. Nobody could believe they were off the hook, just like that.

Then Weiss spoke up. "Sun, I believe your five minutes are up."

"OH YEAH!" Sun yelled in elation and threw his fists in the air… which turned out to be a grave mistake.

For he suddenly bent forward and threw up into the bucket that stood at his feet the entire time. The girls and Jaune backed away from him with screams of disgust… especially because his aim was a bit off and a bit of puke splattered the floor. The guys simply winced in sympathy.

Ren sighed in frustration. "I'll go get a mop…"

* * *

Author's note: _And here goes another prompt from WhichOneIsWill, this time I combined it with an idea from Martyn (guest review). It was about Sun having a massive appetite though it wasn't really specified so I took some liberty with it. In the end I added him to the competition; this was partly inspired by the fact that Sun's voice actor Michael Jones did a few eating challenges which you guys may have seen before.  
_

 _To_ WhichOneIsWill: _The honor's all mine, good sir :-) BTW the idea with the streets race wasn't completely shot down; I just didn't see it happening at this particular timing. It's gonna happen later on in the story, that's all I can say at the moment._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	5. Wilting away

Chapter 5 – Wilting away

 _Canon_

 _Genre: action, drama_

 _Time: after the fall of Vale city (chapters 43 – 45 of 'To be a Huntsman', or you can check out Epilogue for the short explanation; I also recommend reading chapter 38, it will explain much of what you'll read below)_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

There was a sound of rubble crunching under a pair of black boots that made their way through a half-collapsed house. A single dark almost completely black eye scanned the nearby surroundings for any signs of life.

 _All clear._

A tall figure walked out of the ruined building, dressed in black and red; even their spiky red hair fit the 'theme'. Another conspicuous feature was a pair of horns protruding out of his forehead.

The man, holding a blade in one hand and a shotgun in the other, paused to look around before continuing on his way with a noticeable limp. He may have passed for a survivor of the disaster trying to make his way to safety… if it weren't for the strange design of a rose embroidered into the back of his coat.

One that one infamous officer of White Fang also wore.

Looking carefully out for any signs of hostile presence, Adam Taurus continued limping through the dead streets of Vale City. It was night which made it easier for him to travel without being noticed. He had too many enemies now… and he wasn't nearly strong enough to fend them all off.

Not only was he wanted by the Kingdom's authorities, now White Fang, the organization he was born into, the family he did so much for, issued a 'kill on sight' order against him. That happened more than a week ago.

Adam clenched his fists as he remembered the moment when Manson Dracul, one of the most respected Fang veterans, betrayed him, even going as far as to pit his own men against him. He did so much for the Fang's cause, staining his hands with blood every day just to help build a better future for Faunus kind.

Just to be paid back with a stab in the back because of 'a lack of loyalty'… It was all an excuse; Dracul wanted him out of the way because he didn't agree with his insane plan to 'purify Faunus kind of all traitors and weaklings'. Adam didn't care about humans and he'd always cut down every one that got in his way; but to kill his own people just for the sake of some lunatic scheme?

Simply put, there were lines that even Adam wouldn't cross; needless to say he paid dearly for it.

The moments after rejecting Dracul's vision he found himself surrounded on all sides by soldiers that tried to kill him. Adam did everything in his power to defend himself but he was reluctant to kill fellow Faunus; too bad that Dracul's henchmen didn't share the same attitude. Somehow he managed to get out of Dracul's office… only to be jumped by dozens of other Fang troopers.

Apparently, Dracul managed to get the message out that Taurus tried to kill him. There wasn't any other explanation as to why suddenly an entire base was out to get him. Even while trying to get out of that place, Adam tried to fight back the attackers without killing anyone.

It didn't end well, though; despite all his skills, he couldn't hold out against dozens of Fang troopers that ganged up on him.

Severely beaten, he barely managed to escape with his life… and he had to consider himself lucky that they didn't pursue him, as much as he loathed admitting it.

After the betrayal, he spent the next few days hiding in the outskirts of Vale city. He couldn't show his face in public; while most people didn't know his face, there was always some Fang informant who could recognize him. His name was dragged through the mud and he was branded a traitor to the Fang's cause. Adam knew that Dracul wouldn't stop until he hunted him down and he certainly didn't plan on making it easy on him.

For a while, he was able to maintain a low profile, sleeping in some secluded spots and breaking into homes to steal food or some medical supplies. He'd avoided killing because that would attract unwanted attention this way. It did work and he started thinking that he might be able to keep it up until the whole affair blew over a bit.

Then it all suddenly went to hell.

He got careless and it just so happened that a Fang deserter noticed him creeping around the streets at night. The next thing he knew, he was jumped by a furious mob of both humans and Faunus. Still beaten and weak after the Dracul fiasco he couldn't even put up a proper fight.

The enraged crowd quickly overwhelmed him, took his weapons and beat him down until he could barely stand.

It was probably one of the most humiliating moments in his life, thought it was nothing compared to what was coming next…

 _*** Flashback ***_

 _It was unbelievable how his life could take such a drastic turn._

 _Just a few days ago, Adam was one of the top men in White Fang… and now he was being paraded through the streets by a raging mob, beaten and defenseless with his hands tied behind his back._

 _Just like an ancient proverb said: The higher you rise, the harder you fall._

 _And_ this _hurt pretty damn bad._

 _While a couple of tall beefy guys dragged him, the crowd consisting of both humans and Faunus gathered around them. There was nothing that would resemble a conflict between the two species; they just ignored all differences and together they spat insults on Adam's head. It felt strange seeing both Faunus and humans together without fighting one another or showing hate in any other ways. It seemed that the Fang did bring them together after all… though not in the way Adam imagined it._

 _It seemed far more likely that they only stood one another's presence because there was someone they hated more than each other._

 _Adam Taurus._

 _Oh, he knew they hated him; it was pretty clear from the way they glared at him: the looks of unconcealed contempt and pure unbridled rage. Adam knew that look very well; it was the same look his comrades from the Fang shared whenever humans cracked down on another Faunus rights demonstration._

 _He was violently torn out of his thoughts when a rock slammed into his face, just under his wounded eye. He had to bite his lip hard to keep himself from screaming in pain._

" _How many babies have you slaughtered today you piece of shit?!"_

 _Oh this was just insulting. Adam was a killer; he knew it and he accepted it. But never would he stoop down so low as to murder a defenseless little toddler. People were just fond of demonizing whoever they perceived as an enemy._

 _But isn't the Fang doing the same thing? Adam frowned as that traitorous little thought popped up in his mind._

 _This is different, he told himself. Humans despise our kind; if they had their way, they'd do everything to keep us down forever! If we want our freedom, we have to win it for ourselves; it's the only way…_

 _Many Faunus didn't seem to share this view, if his current situation was anything to go by._

 _Fools… I was doing everything for_ them _, and this is their gratitude?_

 _You were doing everything the Fang told you to and look how they paid you back for your loyalty._

 _This time Adam completely ignored the small mocking voice in the back of his head._

 _Shortly after, the mob made it to a large, centuries old tree in a local park. Adam couldn't care less about the majesty of it; instead his eyes were drawn to the long thick branch about ten feet above the ground…_

… _with six nooses tied to it._

 _There were five other Fang warriors that were just as bruised and beaten as him. Adam didn't know them but judging by the distinct lack of hate when they noticed him, he figured they weren't involved in Dracul's little coup._

 _Within the next few moments, Adam and other captives found themselves pushed onto a long table with six stools standing at it. Someone put the noose on his neck and tightened it._

 _Adam knew this was the end of the line for him and the other poor bastards: at the hands of an enraged crowd itching to administer some 'street justice' upon them…_

 _He wasn't afraid of death… but this wasn't the end he envisioned for himself._

 _A corpulent man in his fifties climbed onto a smaller table nearby. He must've been of some significance because the crowd went silent as soon as he cleared his throat. Once he got their attention, he spoke._

" _Ladies and gentlemen, humans and Faunus! I wish we could meet under better circumstances… but I imagine you all know what brought us together here! It's the menace called White Fang!" A series of loud boos and jeers interrupted the speech. "For years this city's been plagued by their ceaseless string of murders and violence, all of that done in the name of their so-called noble cause! I realize, and I'm sure many of you do as well, that relations between our peoples have never been really peaceful and that many Faunus have the right to be discontent with their status in the society. Maybe it was an inevitable outcome that the Fang turned to violent ways… But there is a difference between armed resistance and blind, meaningless slaughter, and the Fang had crossed the line a long time ago, most notably when they began targeting their own people! The recent events are the proof of that!"_

" _Those bastards killed my little boy!" Someone in the crowd cried._

 _The speechmaker nodded. "You have my condolences, young man." He said quietly and then raised his voice again. "This is exactly why we can't stay idle any longer in the face of White Fang's relentless terror! They won't settle with killing humans; eventually they'll target everyone that doesn't join their revolution!" The speaker spat out the last word like if it actually made him sick. "They'll kill anyone that doesn't stand with them, men women or children! We have only two options; either fight back or lie down and face a certain death… and I'm sure the latter is out of question,_ am I right?! _"_

 _The mob let out a booming roar of approval._

" _You see my point; we need to protect ourselves against White Fang menace! And if our government is incapable of defending us, then maybe we should do it ourselves!"_

 _As he stood on the makeshift scaffold, Adam glanced at the fellow captives. He could tell they were afraid, especially the deer Faunus on his left. The girl was openly weeping, not bothering to hide her tears._

" _Our enemy needs to know that we're not to be pushed around… even if it means we'll have to set a few examples!"_

 _A couple of man, a human and a Faunus, stepped onto the scaffold, eyeing the captured Fang soldiers with disdain. They stopped at a man on Adam's far right, a leopard Faunus with a nasty scar across his beaten face._

" _The people you see before you are responsible for some of the most heinous crimes the Fang committed. This_ gentleman _in particular," The speechmaker pointed at the captive in question. "was personally involved in the terrible murder of Dr. Johannes Braun and his family, which I have on good authority from the chief of Vale police force! If it wasn't for all of your help, we would've never caught this bastard!"_

 _The mob thundered in a loud cacophony of voices._

" _This man murdered someone who dedicated his everything to achieve peace between our peoples; worse, he didn't only settle for killing Braun but he also slaughtered his entire family in cold blood!" The speechmaker boomed. "If this doesn't warrant the capital punishment, I don't know what does!"_

 _In the front of the crowd, a middle-aged bear Faunus roared "String 'im up!"_

 _His cry was something akin to a fast spreading disease because in the next moment, the entire mob began chanting loudly._

" _String 'im up! String 'im up! String 'im up!"_

 _The crowd grew louder in volume… until one of the guys at the scaffold grabbed the stool the leopard Faunus stood on and yanked it from under his feet._

 _The convict's fall was violently halted by the noose that swiftly broke his neck in the process. His body convulsed for the next few seconds until it went deathly still._

 _The girl on Adam's left screamed in terror… not that the vengeful mob cared, cheering loudly at the Faunus' demise._

 _His mind was in turmoil as he watched another of his former comrades die at the hands of the group of vigilantes. On one hand, he was furious that they murdered his people… but it was that annoying little voice that said that maybe they brought this on themselves. That the Fang's mission was less about freeing Faunus and more about killing humans. Adam never had second thoughts like these as far as he could remember and it angered him to no end._

 _Then it was his turn._

 _When his name was announced, along with a colorful description of his 'crimes', the crowd was in complete uproar. It almost looked like they were about to take him off the scaffold and pick him apart with their bare hands._

 _Adam would face his death with dignity. He wouldn't be begging for mercy, like the sniveling brat next to him._

 _Even as the mob kept chanting "String 'im up! String 'im up! String 'im up!"_

 _Then the sound of a police siren cut through the air._

 _The crowd parted in the middle, moving out of the way of three police cars. The cordon stopped just several paces before the scaffold. A group of policemen climbed out of the cars. More than half of them kept the raging mob at bay; their leader went to talk to the speechmaker and the rest took the remaining 'convicts' off the scaffold._

" _Constable Wash, what's the meaning of this interruption?!" The speechmaker protested when the cops led them to their cars._

" _We're just doing our job, Albus." The constable replied evenly. "The law says that every criminal has the right for a due process… even scum that don't deserve it. Another thing: do you even realize just who your little flock caught?"_

 _The 'Albus' guy looked confused. "Uh, Adam Taurus? I mean, that bastard is pretty well known."_

" _And do you know what that means?" The sudden intervention of the cops was a bit too convenient, Adam thought. They all would live a while longer but it wasn't much of a consolation for him._

 _Albus had no answer for that question. The constable sighed in annoyance. "It's_ information. _Taurus is one of the top dogs in the Fang; you imagine the things he could tell us? If-"_

 _The discussion was cut off when Adam was shoved in the car and one of the cops closed the door. Adam could guess what the constable was about to say, though._ If we could get him to talk…

 _He may have escaped the execution but now he'd have other sorts of problems._ Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

 _*** End Flashback ***_

What followed after being 'rescued' from public hanging was a series of long interrogations. Every damn cop tried to get him to spill some information on White Fang. Even a Huntress from Beacon showed up. Adam wouldn't talk, though. He couldn't be bothered to talk with those clowns… Besides, even if he did talk, the situation with the Fang could've been entirely different now after Dracul's coup. When it was clear that any attempts to pry answers out of him were useless, he was sent right into prison.

The top security block, straight to solitary confinement.

The guards knew how dangerous he was so they did everything in their power to keep him down. Adam only received one meal per day, just enough to keep him from starving to death. No one bothered to treat the wounds he suffered at the hands of both his old comrades and the mob of vigilantes. He wasn't allowed to leave his cell so he couldn't plot with some of Faunus inmates.

All he could do was think where everything went so wrong. The ill-fated duel against the Faunus Huntsman back during the Festival massacre was just the beginning. Then came the Dracul incident and finally the street mob. One of the Fang's strongest warriors was now a little more than an animal locked in a cage.

Adam remained trapped in the plain tiny room for six days, alone with only his conflicting thoughts to keep him company.

Then the second Breach happened… which resulted in a destruction of a large part of Vale City.

At first, he didn't know what was going on, let alone how serious the situation was. Only after listening in on a conversation between two jailers he finally understood; the Fang blew up the bulwark and released an enormous horde of Grimm into the city.

Adam never knew about such ambitious and devastating scheme. _What the hell were they thinking?_

When alarms started blaring throughout the entire city, he had a feeling that this place was done for. And he was right. The warden gave the order to evacuate the prison. The entire staff headed to the docks, along with most prisoners.

Yes, _most_ prisoners… Because the inmates in the top security wing, the most hardcore of criminals, were left behind.

At least it gave Adam a chance to escape.

Once the power in the prison went out, every security measures installed failed. He could knock the door down without being electrocuted. After escaping his cell, Adam retrieved his weapons and then fought his way out of the prison, cutting down everything that got in his way, be it Grimm or people.

Once out of that place, it was easy to escape into streets without being noticed.

Adam knew that in his current state he wouldn't survive very long while soldiers and Hunters battled Grimm in the streets so he decided to hide in a deserted house in the residential district until the proverbial storm passed. He never counted on falling asleep, though; after everything that happened to him lately he was completely exhausted.

He woke up the next day in the evening. When he walked out of his hideout he was welcomed with a scene of apocalypse.

The city looked, well, _dead._

Empty streets, damaged and torn down houses, roads blocked by rubble.

White Fang accomplished something many thought impossible. Adam didn't take any pride in that, however. Even more so when he started seeing dead bodies as he made his way through the dead city; men, women, children, civilians, soldiers, humans… _Faunus…_

His fists clenched when he noticed that some of the dead bore bullet wounds. There was no way of knowing who was responsible, whether soldiers or the Fang warriors. The second option in particular angered him.

As he walked aimlessly through the dead city he came across multiple sights of bloodbath. It made him wonder just what the purpose of all this destruction was. Ever since the witch in red made the deal with Dracul, there were little to no explanations to why they were doing certain things. They were only expected to get things done, nothing more. But Adam didn't question any of that, only content with killing humans.

Just _why_ didn't he care? Did he really get so caught up in exacting revenge upon humankind that he lost sight of what was really important? And would things turn out different if he didn't have such one-track mind?

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw movement.

The silhouette didn't look like Grimm; it was a humanoid shape.

Drawing his katana, Adam decided to pursue the shadow that disappeared behind a corner. For all he knew, it could've been a White Fang scout following him. If that was the case, he couldn't allow him to get back to his superiors if he didn't want a kill squad on his tail.

And there was only one way to find out for sure…

Adam chased after the figure, determined not to let them escape.

The scout leapt through the window into an abandoned mansion. Adam followed closely after them.

Then he lost sight of his target in the maze of rooms and hallways. He didn't even get a good look at the person; their only conspicuous feature was the decidedly feminine figure.

Adam shook his head when one particular idea invaded his thoughts. No, it couldn't have been _her…_ There were plenty of female soldiers in the Fang and besides, he did get a few glimpses of the woman's clothing. Though he couldn't make any details, the colors were definitely reminiscent of a Fang uniform.

 _More of a reason to get rid of her…_

The bull Faunus moved quietly through the empty building, listening for any suspicious sounds. Everything was quiet, almost eerily so…

Until he caught soft creaking on the upper floor.

Tightening the grip on his weapons, he walked quietly up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. The mansion's upper level looked very empty. He didn't let that deter him; places like this one had a lot of places to hide.

He continued walking down the hall. _You better come out or I'll be even less pleasant…_

His prey didn't plan on hiding though.

Adam froze when he suddenly felt a blade under his throat.

" _You…_ Why are you still hounding me?!"

He instantly recognized the voice that snarled quietly into his ear… and he certainly didn't miss the trace of barely contained anger.

" _Blake?_ "

The sword dug deeper into his skin. "Don't call me that!" His old partner hissed. "You already lost that privilege, _Taurus!_ "

Adam snorted in derision. If anything, he wondered why he hasn't cut her down already. She left him on the damn train to join that Hunter Academy, she fraternized with their enemy…

 _But so did_ you…

She did everything in her power to sabotage the Fang's plans…

 _She remained loyal to her vision… but did you?_

She just ran away…

 _But aren't you doing the same?_

She betrayed everyone and everything…

 _So did your leaders; they put a price on your head, remember?_

She left _him…_

 _And if she didn't, you'd only drag her down with you._

 _ **SHUT UP!**_ Adam screamed at the little voice in his mind that just wouldn't stop tormenting him.

"You're pretty brave considering what happened the last time we met." He heard himself say.

There was a moment of tense silence.

Then the voice came back.

" _I hate you."_ It came out angrier than he'd expect.

Adam knew what this was all about.

"So… revenge, is it?" He said almost conversationally. "Is that why you lured me here?" There was no reply, but for him it was just a confirmation. "I have to say that was a poor judgment on your part, my dear." He was sure that, even after all the abuse he suffered, he could still take her.

In one swift movement, he pushed the offending blade away from his neck, spun around and lashed out with his katana.

Its blade cut cleanly through the assailant's body. To his surprise, the would-be-corpse dissipated in seconds.

 _Of course, a shadow clone,_ he grimaced.

The next thing he knew, a pair of black heeled boots slammed into his forehead, knocking him back.

Adam recovered quickly and faced the opponent that circled around him. He glanced at the large chandelier that hung just above the spot where he was held hostage.

 _So she dropped from above… crafty girl._

"Your team won't come here to save you." Adam taunted. "You know that, right?"

"I don't have a team," Blake spat out. "And I have _you_ to thank for it!" She then bolted forward and took a wild swing with her sword, quickly following up with the cleaver.

Adam almost failed to parry the attack. Blake seemed faster than he remembered. Maybe it was her fury fueling her strength… or he simply was in worse shape than he thought. The parry was sloppy, even by Blake's standards, but it kept him from being skewered. As fast as his battered body allowed him, he counterattacked.

His opponent narrowly evaded his blade and retreated into another room.

 _Running away as usual…_ Adam chuckled. _This is gonna be easy._

However, the world was too eager to prove him wrong.

As Adam chased after the girl, he was suddenly struck in the back. Only his Aura kept him from injuries.

Blake kept attacking relentlessly, with a ferocity he never saw before. _Almost like a frenzied animal chased into a corner…_ One look into her amber eyes, narrowed into tiny slits, told him everything he needed to know.

She really wanted him _dead._

Despite nearly all his muscles screaming in protest, Adam fought tooth and nail to keep his former partner at bay. If she wanted to kill him so badly, then she'd have to work for it.

The two of them exchanged blows at a frantic pace until Adam noticed an opening. Taking the opportunity, he struck out and impaled Blake through her abdomen… only to realize it was just another shadow clone.

Cursing to himself, he looked around wildly, searching for the cat girl.

He never noticed the nightstand soaring through the air until it slammed into his head. The force of the blow nearly knocked him to the ground.

Blake was on him before he could even regain his balance, slashing away with a reckless abandon. With a roar, he bolted forward and slammed his shoulder into hers, disrupting her aim. Potentially deadly attacks became just glancing blows which his Aura could easily deflect.

Adam turned just in time to see Blake taking an overhead swing at his head… seemingly taking no heed of the fact that she left herself wide open.

 _Reckless…_

With a single slash, Adam decapitated her.

Her headless corpse instantly vanished. _Another clone… Why am I not surprised?_

He was caught completely off guard when a blade tore into his left side, followed by another… and another…

Within a second, he was bleeding from the huge gash in his side. His initial shock soon gave way to horror once he realized how Blake got the drop on him.

 _My eye…_

He was blind in his left eye. In the heat of the battle he completely forgot about this weakness… and Blake quickly exploited that. She quite literally blind-sided him.

Adam took several quick hits before he recovered enough to strike back. He slashed desperately at his former partner, hoping to land a hit that would force her to retreat. His blade struck true, tearing a gash in her arm.

Blake gasped in pain and dropped the cleaver. Adam closed in and stabbed his katana straight through her chest.

A series of gunshots rang out behind him… and Adam realized he picked the wrong target.

He spun around… and the moment he did, a chandelier fell on top of him. His weapons clattered away from his grip when about a hundred pounds of metal and glass pressed him to the floor, effectively pinning him in place.

He was extremely lucky that he wasn't impaled by the damn thing.

In the next few seconds, Blake loomed over him, her blade hovering above his neck. Even in the dark he could see she was scowling. If looks could kill, he'd probably be nothing more than a small stain of blood.

So this was it, end of the line after a strange twist of events; betrayed by White Fang, nearly lynched by the same people he fought for… and now he was at the mercy of his former partner.

"What are you waiting for?" Adam croaked. It was difficult to breathe with the chandelier sitting on his chest. " _Do it…!_ That's what you wanted, didn't you?"

Blake didn't respond, her glare boring into his skull. The girl kept her blade above his neck, ready to lob his head off.

Adam was sure she'd kill him. After what happened between them, he wouldn't expect anything less.

Hence why he was so shocked when she put her blade away.

" _No._ "

 _What?_

Still dumbstruck by her refusal, Adam almost didn't hear her speak.

"I'm not like you… I don't need to destroy other people's lives just to get my way."

 _So it comes down to this 'high moral ground' bullshit again?_ "Humans were destroying our lives for as long as I can remember! Is that al-"

He didn't finish as Blake's katana was again digging into his throat.

"So the entire humankind should suffer because only some of them wronged us?" The girl barked. "No, I won't listen to you preaching, not after you and your comrades _destroyed an entire city and killed thousands of people, both Faunus and humans!_ "

As much as Adam loathed admitting it, she had a point… even though he had no part in that personally.

"And shall I also remind you how you fought against anyone who tried to achieve equality without resorting to bloodshed? How you destroyed the lives of good people that wanted to make a difference in this world? Or how you executed one of the few humans that truly wanted to help our kind?! Even after all this, you still think you're in the right?" Blake broke off mid-sentence, breathing heavily. Her body was trembling with fury. "No… You destroyed White Fang, you turned your backs on everything it stood for! You don't give a damn about our people anymore; all you want is to start another war. You're all _monsters_ … and you, Adam, are _the worst_ of them!"

He could only stare back in silence as she screamed at him. Memories started flashing before his eyes.

" _I- I didn't mean to… It was an accident! I didn't want-"_

" _They attacked me, I had to defend myself!"_

" _You have to understand, Blake. It was either them, or us!"_

" _What you want is impossible!"_

" _What about_ them? _"_ The last memory was particularly bitter…

The blade on his throat vanished again… and Blake took a few steps back. "You're not worth the space you take up for yourself, you're not worth the air you breathe… And you should thank God that you're not even worth killing."

She glared at him for a few more seconds before she took a running jump out of a window and disappeared into the night.

Gathering the little strength he had left, Adam pushed against the chandelier. He gritted his teeth when his wounds started acting up again. It took some incredible effort on his part to push the damn thing off of him and it left him thoroughly exhausted, on the verge of passing out.

 _What will I do now?_

In this state, Adam could hardly continue his trek through the city; he'd be an easy target for both monsters and humans alike. Well, his enemies wouldn't dare to look for him inside Grimm infested territory so that was something good, at least. Perhaps he could stay here and recover for a few days… and help himself to whatever was left in the mansion. It wasn't like its inhabitants would come back…

In any case, he knew that his journey led out of Vale; away from the Fang, from Dracul and the red witch, from everything he took for granted until now.

Even from his old partner.

Adam had never seen Blake this upset; usually _he_ was the angry one. He wasn't used to such display of hostility from her, of all people… But most of all, it was being called a monster what got to him.

Was she right?

If this happened year ago, he would say 'no'; he was only doing what he deemed necessary to liberate Faunus from human oppression. But now… He was already having second thoughts after Dracul's betrayal and after the destruction of Vale city they only became louder, more forceful. It made him miss the earlier days when everything was clear-cut and simple…

Overcome with all the ordeal he went through, Adam fell asleep, alone in a large abandoned house.

His only company was the voice of his newly awakened conscience, all too eager to plague his thoughts and dreams.

* * *

Author's note: _I figured that given the main story isn't all sunshine and rainbows, it would be appropriate to write something more serious for once. It was mentioned in 'To be a Huntsman' that Adam ended up in prison; this oneshot was meant to shed some more light on how he got into that situation. The aftermath of the fall of Vale and his confrontation with Blake would show that the black-and-white view of the world does more harm than good (though Taurus may not necessarily realize that)._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	6. Turbo lovers

Chapter 6 – Turbo lovers

 _Canon_

 _Genre: action, romance_

 _Time: after the fall of Vale city (chapters 43 – 45 of 'To be a Huntsman')_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

After the Vale City disaster, the Beacon Academy was busier than ever, for several reasons.

The hospital down in the city was heavily damaged during the Grimm invasion and was rendered inoperable; its staff along with most patients and whatever medical supplies they could carry, moved to the infirmary at Beacon and the hastily set up field hospital at its campus. Most citizens had been evacuated days ago, yet the influx of refugees wouldn't stop... There were many villages around the Vale's capital and some of them got hit by Grimm as well. All available Hunters worked day and night to stabilize the situation but they couldn't be everywhere so sometimes they had to rely on student teams from Beacon.

The Academy and whatever remained of the city were like a huge maelstrom, drawing in every able-bodied man and woman in order to secure the area against any future attacks of monsters; Hunters, soldiers, or basically anyone willing to help out.

That probably was the reason why the hallways of Beacon Academy were so crowded most of the time. It made walking around the campus a frustrating experience unless you were willing to elbow your way through the masses of people.

… Like one Yang Xiao Long, for example. Though in her case it was simply poor mood than plain rudeness that caused her to push her way through the crowds.

Most of the time people just moved out of her way as she stomped through the halls, heavy scowl marring her attractive face. No wonder; when Yang Xiao Long is upset, you'd best keep your distance.

You see, Yang heard from Ren and Nora that Ruby had finally woken up. Her little sister spent over three days in deep sleep after she somehow killed a colossal wyvern Grimm at the night of Vale disaster. Doctors said it was just an Aura exhaustion and that she' d be fine but Yang couldn't help it but worry about her. So when she was told that Ruby was awake, her first instinct was to barge into her room and give her a big hug. There was one problem, though; the medical staff wouldn't let her near Ruby, insisting that she needed more time to recuperate until she could receive visitors. And no amount of intimidating would make them budge.

It wasn't fair. For Oum sake, Yang was her sister and they couldn't make an exception for family members, at least?

The blonde boxer only knew one way of venting: to go downtown, find herself some Grimm and pummel the living snot out of them. True, she could always go to the gym and destroy a few sandbags but that wouldn't cut it now. She needed some live targets.

With that in mind, she headed straight for the locker room, oblivious to the fact that she was scaring others with her sheer presence. After all, people wouldn't like Yang when she was... _upset._

The place was almost empty when she walked in... save for one person.

A familiar figure sat on a bench at the far end of the room, stuffing ammo into empty magazines. A long-barreled rifle (it was also a battle axe) was propped against nearby lockers.

Yang couldn't help it but smile as she walked towards him.

Roland Peregrine, of team TNDR, was one of her closest friends at the Academy. Though not exceptionally good at close quarters combat, he was an absolute crackshot, even surpassing Pyrrha with his shooting skills, though he never flaunted his impeccable aim outside combat or training. _I'm good at what I do and that's about it,_ he would always say. Yang took a liking to him because he had spine, so to speak; he wasn't afraid to say _exactly_ what he thought and he wouldn't take shit from anyone, as he proved it multiple times. Like the fistfight with Winchester in the mess hall on the first week of school... Eventually Yang got to know him better as their respective teams plus the Junipers hung out virtually every day. Because of his past _bad experiences_ with people, he was somewhat clumsy at socializing, though it was nowhere as bad as in Ruby's case. When in the company of friends, he was funny and good-natured, modest and supportive; if only he didn't swear so _profusely..._ Unlike many boys, he didn't view her as a piece of meat so that was a plus, too.

In spite of his faults, such as stubborness, quick temper and occasional lapses in judgment, Yang liked him and she knew the feeling was mutual; she could tell whenever they hung out, just the two of them... Like at the Beacon dance, or their night out at the Spirit club where admittedly she had some less-than-appropriate thoughts about him as they danced together. And he was pretty handsome too, in his own, kind of rugged way... At first she thought it was just her raging teenage hormones; after the festival massacre, she wasn't so sure, though. Seeing him lying resignedly on the hospital bed with his right arm gone from shoulder down was a huge shock for her. When she woke up after being stabbed by Blake's asshole ex, her friends told her that Roland got wounded but they didn't say it was _that bad..._ During their chats, he looked so collected, taking it all in stride, but Yang knew that he was hurting; he admitted it himself one day. Career gone, life disrupted, it was a lot to cope with. Then he accepted the offer from Dr. Polendina to get a prostetic arm and signed for an experimental (and dangerous) surgery.

That week after he left for Polendina's little ship, Yang was worried sick. It was enough that her real mom (if you could call her that), her stepmom Summer _and_ Blake were all gone; she didn't want to lose any more people. So when she got that photo where Roland posed with his new limb she was relieved... and also a bit alarmed because that photo provided even more fuel to her lewd fantasies.

 _He wasn't that ripped when I last saw him..._

Yang didn't know if it was just pure lust or if genuine feelings were involved. She found it revolting that she might end up leading him on, interested only in his body... as some boys tried to do to her before.

'Gunny' deserved better than _that..._

"Uh, you okay, Firecracker?"

Torn out of her daydream, Yang glanced around in confusion until her gaze settled on the gunman before her. "Huh?"

Roland snorted a laugh. "You were just staring at the wall in front of you for the last few minutes."

She didn't even protested when he call her a nickname only uncle Qrow was allowed to use. Maybe she did have a soft spot for him, after all. "I- I'm pissed." She finally said, putting on a light frown.

"Oh? What happened?"

"Ruby woke up a while ago. I wanted to visit but medics wouldn't let me; they said she needed more rest... Like if the past three days weren't enough!"

The gunman semed surprised by the news. "That's stupid; when I asked about her, they said she'd be totally fine!"

"Tell me about it." The blonde grumbled. "I barely got any sleep lately... They knew I was worried about her and now that she's awake they won't even let me see her! Talk about fair..."

"Yeah, I hear ya." Roland said and put on his trench coat. "Is that why you're heading out, Yang? To mess some Grimm up?"

The boxer chuckled. "You know me too well... Punching bags are all well and good but pounding a sack of sand gets boring after a while."

"Heh, live targets are more fun."

"By the way, where are _you_ off to?" Yang asked. "Shooting range, or something?"

Roland shook his head. "No, no... I'm going downtown, actually."

The blonde didn't expect that response. "What? Didn't you say you were still forbidden to go out?"

"I got 'cleared for duty' this morning." The gunman replied as he secured the last straps on his ammunition belt. "I wanted to head out to the commercial district to find myself some armor pieces; it's all deserted down there so no one will mind if I _retrieve_ something for me."

Yang gave him a look. "I didn't take you as a type to loot stores."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, there's some good stuff down there that we could put to good use; no sense in letting it gather dust down there. Besides, better us than some thieves and bandits, right?"

Yang had to admit that she couldn't really argue with that logic.

"Plus, there's something a bit more, um, personal that I'd like to take care of."

"Like what, if you don't mind me asking?" She just couldn't help it; you can't blame a girl for being curious.

Roland sighed and his expression fell. "I wanted to check out our old house at Arcwind... just to see if there's anything left in there."

Yang nodded sympathetically. A lot of people lost their homes, or worse, their loved ones after Grimm invaded the city. She understood why he wanted to go back to the place where he used to live. Some people just needed to see the ruins to accept what happened. That didn't mean she'd let him go alone, though.

"Mind if I tag along? Since we're both heading out it makes sense that we travel together, right?"

The gunman gave a tiny smile. "Now that you mention it, it would be nice to have some company."

"Cool!" Yang realized that she might've sounded a bit too happy... _Ugh, get your act together, Xiao Long! You're acting like a love-struck schoolgirl!_ But wasn't she kind of _just that?_ He was more than just a friend, whether she'd admit it or not.

 _I'll cross that bridge when I get there._

"So... You ever ridden on a bike before?" She asked him.

Roland seemed a bit surprised by the question. "No, can't say I have... Why are you asking?"

Yang put her hands on her hips, a smirk growing on her lips. "Because you're about to get your chance."

* * *

If Roland didn't understand before why Ruby was afraid to travel with Yang now he did.

His first time riding on a bike with Yang at the handlebars wasn't really a pleasant experience; while he wasn't afraid to go fast, it felt quite different in a car than on a tiny little seat behind Yang. The blonde pugilist didn't really worry about speed limits and now when there were no cops around, she got even bolder. Going at over a hundred miles per hour, it was a miracle that Yang didn't 'lose' him along the way.

It didn't help the matters one bit when Yang teased him about the way he clung to her for his dear life during the ride.

 _You better hold on to me 'cause I don't go 'slow',_ Yang warned him. _Hands on the waist; not_ higher _and not_ lower _. Understood?_ Roland was well aware that she was just joking around. He could tell when she was being serious about her threats; it was the strange glint and the red flickering in her irises that gave it away.

In any case, he was grateful that he surived the fast, wild ride through the deserted city, past destroyed houses and monsters prowling around. When they finally stopped, he began literally worshipping the ground beneath his feet after he climbed off the bike, much to Yang's amusement.

They were at a boulevard leading to a familiar large square; it was the same one where the large Faunus rights demonstration, where his team played bodyguards, took place. It was in shambles now, as most of the city, in fact.

"So... Did you pick a place you want to check out beforehand or we're gonna stumble around until we find something?" Yang asked after a while of silence.

"There's a nice shop somewhere down this street." The gunman replied. "I'd go there to buy ammo for my guns before this whole mess happened. They also sold nice weapons and armor but I never looked at those; first, I already had my own equipment and second, even if I did want to buy something I didn't have the Lien for that." He pulled out his rifle and looked around. "Though I guess today we'll be shopping for _free..._ "

Roland could tell that Yang wasn't really comfortable with the thought of breaking into a shop. He understood, of course; normally, he wouldn't even think about breaking and entering. But these were no normal circumstances, though. People wouldn't be coming back to this city in months, years even. In that time, many shops would get robbed anyway. Besides, even students from Beacon were being sent downtown regularly to bring back important supplies. If it meant that they'd hold those few positions they had within the city, he was willing to break the law anytime.

The place they chose to investigate was a few hundred yards away from the square; luckily, it was abandoned, just like the rest of the city. The front door was locked so Roland smashed one of the windows with the stock of his rifle and walked in. Yang followed wordlessly after him.

Unlike few others they saw along the way, this shop was still left intact. The wares were still on display on several shelves and racks; guns, big or small, blades, armor, ammo, simply anything a Hunter would need to do their job. Even though Yang still felt a bit apprehensive about looting the store, she had to admit that in their situation, this place was like a huge, fat vein of gold.

"Wow... Looks like they got some new stock recently." The gunman muttered, a wide grin plastered on his face. "I think I'm gonna tell others about this place so they'll take all of that to Beacon before some gangs can steal it. It would be a shame if it ended on some black market."

"Yeah, right..." The blonde boxer said a bit hesitantly.

"Come on, Yang! A place like this would eventually get robbed anyway; better if it gets taken by somebody who'll put it to good use. Besides, I'm only gonna grab ammo and some armor pieces; that's all I need." He gestured to the shelves overflowing with goods. "Help yourself to anything you like, if you want to."

"Okay... I'll take a look." Yang finally nodded and went off to look at some of the wares at display.

The gunman allowed himself a small smile; he was glad that she saw his point. _At least she'll stop feeling guilty about this..._

There was a lot to choose from so it took a while before Roland found what he was looking for.

An entire set of light armor, placed on a rack in a secluded corner of the shop. It was silvery gray in color and consisted of a helmet, segmented cuirass protecting the back, chest and midsection, shoulder guards, gauntlets, thigh armor, greaves and heavy boots.

The moment he laid his eyes on it, Roland knew it was exactly what he needed. He didn't care in the slightest that it looked similar to the standard issue armor Atlesian footmen wore; there was plenty of time to do some adjustments later. Plus, the armor was modular so he wouldn't have to lug the whole set around.

Shoulder pieces were out; they'd only get in the way of aiming. So was the helmet and most of the leg armor. The chest piece, gauntlets and greaves, though... he'd definitely take those. True, his robotic arm didn't need much protection since it could take quite a beating, or that's what Polendina said, at least. That didn't mean he needed to flaunt it around to his enemies; better it remained hidden under the armor, just to preserve the element of surprise.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the shop's entrance; the sound of shattered glass and several voices talking at once.

Roland scowled and his hands inched to his firearms. _We have company..._

"You again?" One voice drowned out the rest. "Can you not get in my way for once, _Blondie?!_ "

"Maybe you just miss me and don't want to admit it!" Came Yang's cheeky reply.

 _Uh-oh._

Whoever this was seemed to know the blonde brawler. This could be really bad...

"Shut it, ya little tramp!" The gruff voice that spoke earlier snapped back. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid jokes!"

Roland quickly backtracted to the entrance, intending to intervene before the situation got out of hand.

"Aw, you really need to lighten up, Junior."

Oh... that was the guy whose club Yang blew up months ago. _This is beyond bad._

"What's going on?"

Roland was greeted by a sight of a group of gangsters in black suits, all armed to the teeth with guns and cleavers. Their leader was a tall bearded bulky guy with a huge baseball bat. Right behind stood a couple of girls, both of them strikingly similar in appearance. _Twins, huh?_ They wore cocktail dresses and thigh-high heeled boots, one in red and the other in white.

Yang didn't seem afraid of them, despite being outnumbered.

"Get lost, kid. This ain't your business." The gang leader, or Junior, growled at him.

"I think it _is,_ considering it's my friend you're harrassing here." The gunman snapped back coldly. "Anyway, it's pretty obvious that we all want to walk away from this alive and well so why won't we talk this out like reasonable people?"

Yang gave him an odd look though he didn't notice.

"Yeah, why won't we..." Junior chuckled. "This place is ours now so you two better get out of here while you have the chance."

"No way! We were here first!" Yang snapped back. "Beacon needs those guns more than your bunch of thugs!"

The gang leader frowned. "We lost half of our men and our equipment to monsters! I'm blaming that one on _you_ , actually; Beacon didn't stop Grimm from destroying the city so I don't think we owe them anything."

"That doesn't change that we were here before you." Roland answered. "I think that gives us the right to pick up whatever we need."

"Oh really?" Junior scoffed. "Well, we have enough numbers on our side to take these rights from you, don't you think?"

In that moment, Roland saw one of the thugs reaching for his gun.

 _Oh no you won't!_

A single shot rang out. The daring mobster yelped in fright as the gun was suddenly knocked out of his hands.

Every pair of eyes turned to Roland who held a smoking pistol in his _left hand._ "Try that again and I'll get angry. And believe me, you won't like me when I'm angry." The gunman snarled, keeping his gun trained at the gangsters. "Now, I've got a suggestion for you guys; run like hell away from here so we won't have to put you all down like a pack of rabid dogs!"

He heard Yang cocking her gauntlets.

It was a gamble and he knew it. But Yang fought those guys once and she thrashed them and their club, singlehandedly. With the two of them, this should be easy; he knew better than to take it for granted, though.

Just to help Junior reach his decision, Roland pulled out Thunderbolt with his free hand, now wielding both the pistol _and_ the rifle.

Junior wasn't going to back down so easily, though.

"Don't make threats you can't back up, kid."

The whole group brandished their weapons.

Roland didn't flinch, even in the face of multiple guns and blades. "I make promises, not threats."

After the terrible wake up call that was the fall of Vale, there was one thing in his mind.

 _No more fucking around..._

"So... you still wanna do this?"

He could literally hear Junior grinding his teeth.

"I won't be scared off by a couple of brats!" The gangster roared. "Get them!"

 _Your funeral, pal._

Roland shared a look with Yang. "No killing," he mouthed at her. She met his eyes and nodded. The next moment, they both attacked.

Needless to say, it was an extremely one-sided battle.

It turned out that looks were the only threatening thing about Junior's goons. To put it in short terms, _they sucked terribly_ at fighting; it was unlikely that they actually had some real combat training. It seemed that Junior just picked just about anyone off the streets of Vale City to his gang lately. Roland had an easy time beating them down.

Well, so did Yang but that goes without saying... and she looked damn good while doing it.

He just couldn't help it; during the brief but intense fight, he's glance her way to see how she was doing. The way her golden hair flew about as she was moving around her way clumsier opponents, how she dealt blows left and right without anyone touching her; the way muscles rippled beneath her skin every time she threw a punch; the confident, borderline smug smirk on her lips as she was making fools out of Junior's thugs... It was a glorious sight, one that he definitely wouldn't seeing again.

Within a single minute, almost all black suits were out of combat, much to Junior's shock.

"So, ready to give up now?" Yang taunted the ring leader. "We won't think less of you if you do!"

Only Junior and the two girls, the Malachite sisters as Yang called them, remained standing.

"Boss, say the word and we'll take care of the bimbo and her boyfriend." The twin in white said, not taking her eyes off the Hunters in training.

Yang went bright red in the face; no way to tell if it was anger or embarrassment.

"You started this fight, Junior." Roland shot back, ready to attack in case they tried something. "And by Oum, we will finish it if you keep up this bullshit. I suggest that if you don't want to leave this place in body bags, you'll let us collect what we came here for and leave and in turn the two of us will forget what happened. Deal?"

For a moment it looked like Junior would continue the hopeless battle. No crime boss would stand the embarrassment of being shown up by a couple of teenagers. But ultimately, his self-preservation instinct won. "Fine... have it your way, then." The gang leader ground out. "Just make it quick, will you?" The twins gave him a questioning glance but they shrank back at his glare.

"If only you said that at the beginning, we wouldn't even have to fight over this."

Junior didn't reply, seething with anger.

The gunman turned to Yang. "Let's go, we don't want to keep the gentlemen waiting."

* * *

Surprisingly, Junior kept his word so when the Beacon students walked out of the store, no one tried to stop them. He did give them a nasty glare as the passed him but he left them alone.

Roland left the place with a new set of armor to replace his old flak jacket and a huge stock of ammo. Yang was carrying a couple boxes of special buckshots for her Ember Celica, incendiary 'Dragon Breath' rounds.

"Ya know, this is gonna make travelling difficult." Yang remarked as they tried to mount Bumblebee even with all their loot.

"I guess you'll have to go slow this time if you don't want to kill us both on accident." Roland joked.

"Hey, have a little faith in me, Gunny!"

"I have a little." He chuckled. "By the way, you should take us to the parking lot near the airport. My car's still sitting there; we could dump our stuff into the trunk."

Yang gave him a look. "Why didn't you say that _before_ we went to loot that store?"

"I forgot." Roland shrugged. "It's not that far from here, anyway."

"Just so you know; if we do crash, I'm blaming you."

"Yeah, yeah."

The ride to the airport wasn't as bad as they thought, which was pretty strange, especially when Roland had to balance precariously on the rear seat with an armful of loot from the gun store. On the other hand, Yang was more careful this time.

The gunman was relieved to see his car where he last left it. Aside from a thin layer of dust, it was intact as well. Yang helped him load their loot into the trunk; it took a bit of effort since Revenant didn't offer much room inside.

"So where are we going now?" Yang asked.

"We're going to Arcwind." Roland told her. "I'd like to look around our old house... if it's still standing, that is."

The last time he was in Arcwind was after the Fang invaded the place. He wanted to see his home once more, without being shot at if possible; it seemed that his family wouldn't return there for a long time.

"You sure you can drive around with that robot arm?" Yang asked him.

He was asking himself the same question. No doubt it would take some getting used to; he wouldn't let that deter him from trying, though.

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

Any worries he might've had about handling the car dissipated as soon as he drove out of the parking lot with Yang and her bike on his tail. Polendina wasn't kidding when he said that he'd return to the normal life in a span of mere weeks; the only important rule was not to use excessive strength.

And Roland wouldn't, not on those that deserved it, anyway.

A sound of engines rang once again through the dead silent streets of Vale as Yang's superbike and Roland's muscle car sped down the empty road. Even Grimm deserted the fallen city except a few strays that instantly chased after the two vehicles, only to give up after a few seconds.

Arcwind Point was almost completely deserted, with the exception of a small camp of Vale Defense Force troops in the square. Sudden rambling of engines put the soldiers on alert but once they saw a couple of Hunters in training driving in they didn't see any point in investigating.

The village was left in a rather shabby state after White Fang attack. All its inhabitants were in the first wave of evacuation so no one lived here except for the soldiers. Nobody saw the point in repairing the houses damaged when the Fangers stormed the place. The village would just continue decaying until people started coming back here.

And that wouldn't simply happen overnight.

Roland drove slowly through the vacant village, looking for the house where his family lived until a few days ago. Yang's bike rumbled just a short distance behind him. When he finally found the house, he was relieved to see it intact though the fence around it was torn out in several places. He parked the car near the gate and went to take a closer look.

A shame his joy was only shortlived.

Immediately upon entering the yard, the gunman noticed that a part of the house was blown apart by an explosion... right where his room used to be. If his family ever got to return to Vale, they wouldn't be living here.

It wasn't too hard to figure out who did this. Only White Fang would fire upon civilians without a second thought...

 _Those bastards..._

Had he refused the cybernetic arm and went home instead, he'd be probably dead now.

It was pretty scary knowing how incredibly lucky he was, it wouldn't quell his anger, though.

The Peregrine family lost everything... and they had White Fang to thank for that.

"Fucking Fangers..." The gunman hissed through gritted teeth, battling the urge to hit something, _anything._ "Lice eat 'em, those sons-a-bitches!"

Not even the most vulgar expressions could express his contempt for the group of self-proclaimed Faunus freedom fighters.

Too consumed by his fury, Roland nearly jumped in start when Yang put her hand on his shoulder. His first instinct was to just shrug the hand off. Once he saw the sympathetic look in her eyes he managed to get a hold of himself.

"I'm gonna look inside, see if anything survived the Fang's 'cordial visit'." The gunman muttered. "You can stay outside if you don't feel like sifting through our crap-"

"Not a chance." Yang cut him off. "If I didn't feel like coming with you I wouldn't even bother going to this place... yet here I am. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

He managed a small smile. "You didn't have to... but thanks." He said and stepped inside the ruined house. "Let's hope there aren't any uninvited quests."

The inside was a complete mess.

It seemed that when the Fang troopers stormed Arcwind Point, part of them herded all villagers to the square and the rest searched through their houses, taking all valuables and smashing the rest into pieces. The floor was littered with broken tableware, shards of glass, pieces of furniture and other things the invaders deemed to be worthless junk. No doubt they stole a lot of stuff, too.

Doctor Oobleck said it multiple times that war could bring out the worst in everyone. It looked way different when a person saw it first hand. If anything, it made Roland even more furious than ever.

They made it into the living room, taking in the results of the Fang's rampage; it looked that not a single piece of furnishing was spared.

"Look at this; those cunts broke anything they couldn't steal." He snarled as he tried to spot anything intact in all this mess. "Bah, 'freedom fighters', my ass; bandits and murderers, all of them!"

Yang didn't say anything, letting him vent his frustration.

"Fight, pillage and kill; that's all they do; not even their own people are safe! And they call this a 'righteous cause'? What a motherfuckin' joke! Those bastards are nothing but a _goddamn disgrace_ to their own kind!"

The gunman sat down heavily, chucking a broken leg of a coffee table on the other side of the room.

"All this destruction, death, suffering... all because of their twisted sense of justice!" He laughed humorlessly. "I've half the mind to just kill 'em all and be done with it..."

Those last words left Yang more than a little alarmed. She knew Roland wouldn't hesitate to use force of necessary; but to actually _off someone_? And then there was the way he threatened Junior and his goons. He was way too calm and calculated about it; it was really unsettling.

"Something on your mind, Yang?" His voice cut in. "Ask away; I can tell you want to..."

An awkward silence hang between the two of them until the blonde gathered enough courage to ask the question. "Have you ever, um, actually, you know... Killed someone?"

The gunman knew that it would come down to this one day. "Yes I did, and before you ask, no I didn't enjoy it." Well, maybe he did, in Dracul's case, but that was completely different. "During the second breach... Penny and I came across a bunch of Fang troopers... They were slaughtering captives so I killed them. They deserved it."

Yang was surprised by his brutal honesty, so much that it left her at a loss of words.

"You know, if I learned anything from this mess... it's that we'll all have to kill people at some point, whether we like it or not. Because they won't give us the choice sometimes." Roland sighed wearily. "I just wish we didn't have to learn like _this._ "

The blonde brawler sat down beside him. "Do you regret it?" She asked him.

The gunman hung his head. "No, I don't... and it scares me." _As honest as ever..._ "I know that those guys didn't deserve any mercy but... Is it bad that I don't have second thoughts about it? What if killing ends up becoming my habit? I- I don't want to end up like little more than a killing machine."

The blonde put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. "You know... if this happened _before_ the Tournament, frankly, I'd probably have trouble accepting all that. I mean, we're supposed to help people, not kill 'em." His expression fell at that. "Or so I thought, at least. But I guess that nearly dying has a way of changing your outlook on things."

"Yeah, we can agree on that."

She chuckled softly. "Changing the world without killing people; it sounds so noble and all but ideals just mean squat when people wanna cut you down just because you stand in their way." Her other hand found its way into his and squeezed gently. "What is worse, kill people and save lives while at it, or stand back and let a murder happen? You did what you had to do; no one can blame you for that."

"I get what you're saying, Yang. It's just-" Roland sighed. "It's people like Dracul and the likes of him. Killing is normal for them. They see it as a routine; hell, they even enjoy it! … I don't want to turn out like them."

"You won't... I believe it, even if _you_ don't."

"What makes you so sure?" The few hours after the Grimm retreated from the city, Roland didn't feel any remorse for killing those Fang troopers. They were butchering innocents and he simply put a stop to their madness; that was it. But now... He was frightened by his lack of emotions. No, he didn't regret killing those guys but he was afraid of becoming the same heartless murderer like them.

And with a war looming over the horizon, this possibility was too real to ignore.

He felt Yang shift beside him... and suddenly he found her straddling his lap, her arms around his neck. That girl had a knack for surprising him, it seemed... "Uhh... Yang?" Roland could barely get himself to speak when the blonde had him pinned in such an _intimate_ position, resting her forehead against his.

"I believe in you; isn't that enough?"

Words simply got stuck in his throat. He was entranced by the gorgeous face right before him, the pair of lilac eyes gazing into his.

With her looks, Yang could have any man in the world... yet as far as Roland knew, he was the only one she let so close to her. She was more than just a friend, that much was clear, but only now he found it in him to admit how much he wanted her.

Then she began leaning in...

Unlike that time in the hospital where she caught him completely unawares, he knew now what was about to happen.

The moment her lips claimed his, he felt his heart hammering wildly in his chest. The shock wore off almost instantly and he found himself kissing her back. Judging by the way her lips curled into a smile, she was enjoying it. He knew for sure that he did; that overwhelming, electrifying sensation threatened to take his breath away. It was better than he'd ever imagined. Though he wasn't really sure why she picked _him_ of all people, he sure was glad that she did.

His left hand snaked its way onto the small of her back and pulled her closer, prompting a muffled giggle from her.

The kiss lasted only a few moments, too short for some... but for Yang and Roland it meant a world.

* * *

It turned out that only a few items in the house actually survived the Fang attack. Roland's room was almost completely destroyed. It was a stroke of luck that he managed to retrieve a small family photo, taken just before he applied for Beacon Academy; everything else was buried under the large pile of rubble.

There were only a few other items he managed to salvage from the house after the Fang tore through it. A snare drum, the only thing from his drumkit that wasn't smashed to pieces, just like about everything else; mom's jewel box the Fang goons somehow missed during their rampage; Sapphire's sketch book; a small pendant in the shape of a hawk; and dad's journal. Roland never knew his dad actually kept one... There was bound to be more they could salvage but it would take days to search through the mess the Fangers left after themselves.

Roland put the items back in his car and then walked to the cliffside. There was a place where he used to go to watch the sea, just to take his mind off things; he wanted to visit his favorite spot for the last time before they had to return to Beacon. Yang followed him all the way there.

The gunman was content with just sitting in the grass and watching the waves roll back and forth, with Yang snuggling against him.

"I always liked to come here and watch the sea. There's something... _soothing_ about watching the waves move about." He spoke quietly, his arm wrapped around the blonde's waist. "I mean, drumming's great for venting your frustration but sometimes a guy just needs some peace and quiet."

"Yeah... this is pretty nice." Yang muttered, squeezing the hand around her waist.

"It is... But it's even better when I have a company." He pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad you're here with me, Yang."

She gave him an impish smirk. "Well, you should be 'cause Junior's twins would thrash you if I wasn't there. Yeah, they're good but they can't handle my sheer awesomeness."

"Ouch, you're hurting me!" He whined mockingly, feigning hurt. "But really, Yang... You know what I mean." He then said seriously. "I- I'm as happy as I can be about all this but... I gotta ask; why me? I'm just an angry guy that happens to be good at shooting things; I'm nothing special."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Geez, you're talking like Jaune. And just between the two of us, he has more of a reason to get all self-depreciating than you."

"That wasn't very nice." Roland joked.

"It's true; unlike him, you don't have a family reputation to live up to, you know." The blonde proceeded to climb into his lap; at this point, he wasn't even a bit surprised. "Listen, Gunny; I- What I'm trying to say is-" She paused, having a distant look in her eyes. "I've never really been in love before. So many guys before you disappointed me, only interested in some 'bedroom fun'. They saw me as a walking pair of tits and an ass, and I hated it. When you didn't instantly try to chat me up the moment we first met, it was weirding me out."

"Yang, did you think I was _gay?_ " The gunman chortled.

"Not gonna lie, it did cross my mind." She laughed softly. "I was just so used to guys hitting on me that it made me assume stuff... It wasn't until I got to know you that it hit me how wrong I was. I- I'm not one for sappy lovestruck gushing and- I just want to say that I don't care if you're perfect or not, Roland. I like you, with all pros and cons." Her mouth curled in a sly smile. "If I didn't, I wouldn't do... _this..._ "

And with that, she kissed him again.

The kiss was nothing like in the movies; lustful with bruising force and tongues fighting for dominance. It was gentle, sweet and meaningful; just the right way of truly conveying their feelings. And it was actually in a romantic spot, unlike earlier...

It was only their need to breathe what made them break the kiss.

Yang panted slightly, her cheeks flushed. "Wow... That was a thing..."

Roland wished he had some witty response to that but all he could think of was "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" It sounded so cheesy... but he couldn't help it.

Yang laughed quietly. "I've been getting that a lot... though none of those guys looked into _my eyes_ as they said it."

"Their loss..." He chuckled in response. "You have probably the most gorgeous pair of eyes I've ever seen."

She giggled playfully, smacking his shoulder. "Oh, stop it!"

"Yang, I'm being serious." He said, gazing straight into her eyes. "I know that I'm not any good with words but- I've been meaning to tell you this for a while yet only now-" He had to pause for a moment to sort out his thoughts and keep himself from babbling like an idiot. "Yang... I don't think I've ever met someone with as big a heart as you have. How far you're willing to go to make others happy, never asking for anything in return... It's something amazing, something I really admired and- It's why I fell for you. You're a wonderful woman and frankly I don't get how other guys can't see past your looks... Y- You mean a world to me..."

For a minute, Yang just stared back, stunned by his heartfelt, albeit rambling confession. He just didn't have the ability to deliver some big-worded flowery speeches on the fly, something which he sure could use right about now...

Then she pulled him into a tight hug, pressing him even closer to her. "Oh... that's really sweet, Gunny... I never thought that-" The blonde suddenly paused as she felt something poke the inside of her thigh. "Huh? What's that?" She said confusedly and looked back at Roland... who, to her surprise, had a completely mortified look on his face.

 _Oh shit, this can't be happening..._ It wasn't his fault; he had no control over the way his body reacted to her thighs wrapped around his waist... or her breasts pressing into his chest... The moment his pants began growing tighter, he knew he was doomed. _Those stupid raging teenage hormones... And at the worst possible moment, too... I'm_ so _dead..._

"Was that one of your guns or you're just _that_ excited?" Yang was grinning like a cat that ate a canary. Not that he noticed because he was way too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

Hearing the teasing tone in her voice, the gunman knew he was doomed in a different way altogether. "Ah, I didn't mean to... it's just my stupid hormones acting up again." He apologized, his face burning with shame. _My god, she'll never let me live this down..._ "Sorry if I ruined the moment..."

"Why? Is it wrong that I know now _how much_ you _really_ like me?" The blonde winked at him.

It was only something small and fuzzy rubbing itself on his leg that distracted Yang and saved him from her relentless teasing.

"Huh?" The blonde exclaimed in surprise, climbing off Roland's lap.

The gunman narrowed his eyes at whatever was rubbing against him. The longer he stared at the hairy animal, pawing at him while yowling pitiously... the more it seemed familiar. Long haired coat, grey with brown tabby pattern, now dirty and tangled, light green eyes, a pair of pointed ears atop the head...

It took a few seconds before it finally dawned on him.

" _Vinnie?!_ "

The cat mewled in response and jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing its face against his.

"Wait a sec... That's _your_ cat?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. We found him years ago when he was just a little cub thrown away in a ditch; he's been with us ever since." Roland answered, petting the little feline. "I guess he got scared and ran away when Fangers stormed the village. Saph wouldn't just leave him behind."

It was pretty clear that Vinnie too had a hard time after the fall of Vale. His fur was caked in dry mud; Roland wouldn't be surprised if he found fleas in it. The cat was visibly thin and had a long bloody gash running along his left hind leg.

"Poor little guy..." Yang cooed, scratching the cat behind his ears. "We should get him to Beacon to have that wound looked at before it starts festering."

"Yeah. My family didn't have the chance to find him in the confusion... But there's no way I'm leaving him here." The gunman stood up. "It's about time we got back to Beacon. We've been gone long enough; your sister might get worried."

"Here's the hoping they'll actually let me talk to her this time..." Yang groused.

The two of them began walking back to the village. Roland carried Vinnie the cat in his arms.

"You know, Yang," The gunman began. "I know it's pretty much impossible now since the whole city's deserted but... The first chance I get, I'd like to take you out on a real date, i- if you want to, that is..."

The blonde responded by pulling him into another brief kiss.

"Yeah, I'd love to." She then leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "How about a race back to Beacon? I think I could use a bit more... _excitement..._ "

Weeks ago, when Yang first asked him, he refused. Out of fear that something could go wrong or that he could lose his license; not to mention that no matter which one of them won, it was the streets of Vale that would lose. But now...

It wasn't like he could say no to his _girlfriend_ , was it?

" _Oh yeah..._ "

* * *

Author's note: ... _and they spent the next night cuddling in one bed. If you can imagine a better (T-rated, mind you; it's way too soon for sex) ending to this, you're welcome to think of one :-)_

 _Anyway, this chapter's for_ xXShadowMatrixXx. _It wasn't an explicit request but in his last review for To be a Huntsman he was screaming at Yang and Roland to 'get together already', so his wish was granted! True, the romance would happen eventually anyway but after Matrix' review I made it a priority to come with a way to make it happen. I admit, I've never written much romance stuff before so it'll be up to you to say how well (or bad) I wrote this. Plus, I apologize for the weird title because I couldn't think of anything else to save my life.  
_

 _And I'd like to apologize once more because I won't be updating as often as I'd like until the end of this year. I've got to deal with some college stuff, that has piled up on me in the last month so I gotta get all this out of the way before I can fully commit to writing._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	7. Caged

Chapter 7 – Caged

 _Canon_

 _Genre: drama, angst_

 _Time: after the fall of Vale city (chapters 43 – 45 of 'To be a Huntsman')_

 _Rating: T_

White bare walls, a small window with a view of the campus filled with tents and prefab units, an enclosed, almost empty space save a few pieces of furniture, such as a nightstand, a rack above the bed and a small table with a chair in the opposite end of the room.

I woke up to this sight every day for an entire week now… and I was fed up with it, especially when I couldn't even get off the bed and had to call the nurse every time I needed something.

Just a week ago I was out there fighting monsters with my fellow Hunters in training. I was a fighter, dangerous _and_ deadly if I wanted to be. Now… I was trapped in a bed with the lower part of my body encased in a cast. I could hardly move; it was impossible for me to even turn around to make myself a bit more comfortable. And when I needed to _relieve myself_ I had to do it into a basin under the bed.

Some might say it was better than being dead but, at least in my view, if there was anything more fucking humiliating than _this_ I sure didn't see it.

All this was bad enough on its own… but it was the circumstances which made it all much worse.

How could so many things go wrong during mere few hours?

Vale City, the place I spent my whole life in was in ruins, in spite of our best efforts to keep that from happening. I lost my home, I lost most of my close family, and there's a chance that I might never walk again, that I'd never become a Huntress like I wanted. All of that because of a bunch of genocidal maniacs who blew up the bulwark around the city and released Grimm inside. It was pointless to pin all the blame on the Fangers, though. We all knew who orchestrated this disaster.

One egomaniac bitch named Cinder and her little helpers; the best thing (or the worst, depends on how you view it) was that they all got away with this as far as we knew. She called the shots, she was setting this up the entire time, she destroyed the city and damn near destroyed Beacon as well.

If Ruby somehow didn't kill the huge wyvern Grimm that perched on the Beacon Tower, this place would probably be overrun by monsters.

Knowing that all this happened was terrible enough. But when you actually see it happening and you know you just can't stop it no matter what you do or how hard you try… it makes the experience so much worse.

Like seeing Cinder walk away after I effectively crippled myself trying to kill her…

…or watching my father die while doctors ran around helplessly, only able to ease his pain.

 _Oh dad…_

It was hard to accept that he was gone. I always admired his positive outlook, how he could keep his smile on no matter how much other people bugged him. True, I could always see the disappointment on his face whenever I flunked an exam or did something that landed me in detention or whatever… but he still supported me no matter what I wanted to do, even if it was a dangerous venture such as Huntress career. Whenever I had problems he would always make time for me so we could just talk it out. I know that many kids could say that but he was the best dad I could ask for.

And to have him taken away from us in such way, just because someone couldn't stomach that he employed Faunus in his shipyards… Izzy told me the whole story of how Fangers had them trapped inside our burning house and how dad got buried under burning beams of the ceiling when they tried to get out. Worse, doctors couldn't do anything to save him since there was a serious shortage of medical supplies and whatever they had had to be 'carefully allocated in order to save as many patients as possible'. In other words, few wounded had to die so few _dozens_ of others could live.

This logic did make sense but it didn't make me feel any better because my dad had to die because of it. We couldn't even give him a proper funeral.

Izzy and I talked to him just a few hours before he passed away. I was fresh out of surgery and high on painkillers; somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that it was the last time I'd see him but my drugged self didn't really get it. It was only after the drugs wore off when the reality finally hit home.

I never cried so much in my entire life.

Even on his deathbed, dad urged me to keep going, at least for him if not for my own sake. But how in the world can I just move on when every damn thing reminds me of everything that went wrong that fateful night?

Still… I can't help it but feel amazed at how dad managed to put on a brave face even when he knew he'd die… That he kept it together even after his once happy marriage fell apart without any obvious cause.

Speaking of mom, she left for Mistral just hours before the Fangers sabotaged the bulwark. Or that's what my brother said, at least. I still didn't understand why she left; was she tired of the relationship for whatever reason or did she find someone else? In any case, she didn't even bother talking to her husband before making the final decision. It wasn't fair to dad, or Izzy or me. I could tell that my brother was still bitter about the whole thing, not that I blame him; I wouldn't be surprised if he started hating mom.

Me? I just wanted to understand what was going on, why she just up and left without explanation. I don't think I'll ever get the answer, though. Communications across the Kingdom were down and would stay that way for the next few months. There were also rumors flying about that communication _between_ Kingdoms were also out. I didn't think people out there really knew what happened in Vale City, including mom. Even if she did know, somehow… There was no telling if she'd actually give a damn.

The whole matter with mom only added to my depression. After I somewhat recovered ( _if_ you could call it that) from my dad's passing, I felt both physically and mentally drained. I didn't have the energy to do anything; even a simple smile took a lot of effort.

The Beacon gang, at least those that didn't end up in the infirmary, visited me regularly and tried to cheer me up a bit. I appreciated the thought but… It just wasn't enough to pull me out of the slump I was in. Especially when the visits became less frequent as the now _headmistress_ Goodwitch called them back to active duty. Eventually a week went by and I'd spend most of the time alone. Twice a day a nurse would stop by to get me some medicine and every other day a doctor would come in to check on me.

Just yesterday they wheeled me out to be X-rayed and measured and what not. Later that day my doctor came in to talk to me about my state of health. The news was nowhere as good as I hoped. My right leg was healing up pretty nicely; it was the left one that had him worried. He spoke in a medical lingo which made it difficult to follow; what I did get was that the broken bones wouldn't heal properly without another surgery.

Worst case scenario, I might end up with my left leg about an inch shorter than the other.

The only thing I got from that was that I'd be trapped in a hospital bed even longer. Even now I was barely coping but to suffer it for another month… It took every ounce of my willpower not to burst into tears again. I didn't want to be stuck here while my friends were headed out there into danger. I didn't want to lose anyone else when I couldn't do anything about it…

Now I knew how Roland felt after he lost his arm and was stuck in the hospital; isolated, helpless, alone…

Like a bird in a cage.

* * *

The dead silence in the room was only disturbed by soft purring sound coming from a small pile of hair curled up at my side.

So much has happened in the last few days.

Yang and Roland had hooked up.

I admit I didn't really expect that to happen. True, those two always got along well but I would've never thought Blondie would go for 'our gunny dearest'. I understood he was already sweet on somebody else though he never said who it was. It was quite a surprise when Yang told me how Roland quite spontaneously poured his heart out to her, in the ruins of Peregrine's house, of all places.

I didn't have the slightest idea how he managed to score with one of the hottest girls I've ever met. It seemed more likely that Yang picked him up... but still, I was happy for both of them. Or as happy as I could possibly be, trapped within these four walls. Maybe he was just following Pyrrha's example. It made sense, at least to me.

Few days after the attack on Vale, she told us all how she managed to get through Jaune's thick skull with a surprise kiss. At that moment, she was facing the very real possibility of not surviving her duel with Cinder and felt that she'd regret not telling Jaune how she felt about him. Her desperate move worked rather spectacularly, though. Jaune not only understood perfectly, a small miracle if I can say so myself, but insisted on coming with her.

And he almost paid for his courage with his life when he took an arrow meant for Pyrrha...

Somehow he survived the lethal hit but his way to recovery would be a long one. Or at least the doctors said so.

He was luckier than many others that fought at Beacon and downtown and didn't see the end of the battle...

Anyway, Beacon was now sending every able bodied Hunter in training into the ruins of Vale City to look for supplies, survivors or to simply kill any Grimm left. Most of the time I was alone, stuck in this room with nothing to do. The only company I had was the cat warming my bed. And it wasn't just any old feline...

Vincent used to be the furry little darling of the Peregrine family, always lavished with care and attention. Now, after the Vale City's destruction, he was only a little more than a common stray. I thought he didn't survive the attack of White Fang and the Grimm invasion that came afterwards... but somehow he did. Though I had trouble recognizing him when Yang and Roland brought him here. His hair was tangled and covered in filth from head to the tip of his tail. On top of that, he injured his left hind leg; there was a long ugly bloody gash running all the way down to the paw. The poor thing was lucky they found him because the wound would soon get infected otherwise.

For a moment, I was wondering how it happened that Vinnie got left behind; I mean, Sapphire loved the cat and she'd refuse to leave without him. I doubt she had a choice though, with the Fangers taking the entire village hostage. At least he was lucky enough to be brought to the relative safety of Beacon Academy where he got fed, cleaned up and had his wound looked at. After they took care of him, the doctors put him here in my room because, well, we'd both use some company while everyone was out.

Vinnie wasn't really the best conversation partner. At first he'd meow without stopping, like if he was complaining to me about all the mean stuff that was done to him. Later he'd stop only to curl up at my side and nap. Still, his presence helped; I didn't feel so alone anymore.

Especially when one certain girl with a red cape and oversized sniper scythe would drop by every few hours.

Ruby Rose, the young rising star of Beacon... and the girl that saved my life.

 _*** Flashback ***_

 _The smoke was still rising from the destroyed city. The fires still haven't stopped burning, even after three days since the disaster. Well, there was no one to put it out after Vale City was hastily evacuated..._

 _I woke up to this sight regularly ever since I ended up in the field hospital built on Beacon's campus. It was the only thing the view from the small window in my room offered. In between visits from my friends, there wasn't really anything else to look at._

 _The door to my room cracked open._

 _I expected Izzy, Roland, or Pyrrha to enter; everyone else was busy fighting monsters most of the time. If not them, I would've guessed the nurse or the doctor coming to deliver another batch of bad news._

 _Now imagine my surprise when Ruby walked in, wearing a hospital robe a few sizes too big and a pair of slippers. Her hair was tousled like if she just got out of bed._

 _The last I heard she was still in deep sleep, completely exhausted after her battle with the wyvern Grimm and no one really knew when she'd wake up. That was why I was so shocked to see her up and about already._

" _Ruby? What are you doing here?"_

" _Wanted to see how you're doing. They told me you could use some company." The girl didn't meet my gaze, for some reason._

" _Now that you mention it... it gets pretty lonely in here." I gestured at a nearby chair. "You wanna sit?"_

" _Why not..." Ruby shrugged. She ignored the chair though, and plopped down on my bed instead._

" _So... how long?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _How long are you awake?" Ruby seemed distracted by something. Something was up but I didn't want to push her and let her talk instead. Maybe she'd tell me herself._

" _A few hours... Dad was there when I woke up. Literally five minutes later doctors marched in and chased him away; said they needed to examine me." She grumbled. "Didn't even give us time to talk."_

" _How dare they..." I chuckled._

" _I told them I was totally fine but they wouldn't listen. 'Doctor is always right', or so it goes. I was so glad when they finally got out. When Dad came back, uncle Qrow was with him; said he needed to talk to me."_

" _What about?"_

 _Ruby kept her gaze fixed at the floor. "How the battle ended, among other things."_

 _I heaved a sigh. I really hoped we wouldn't broach this topic. "So you know that-"_

" _Vale City's mostly in ruins, I know." She finished before I could. "And thousands of people died, thanks to Cinder... and we couldn't do anything."_

" _We got most of the Vale citizens out; that gotta count for something."_

 _Ruby sighed. "Qrow doesn't think so. He said something like that should've never happened to begin with. The communications are out so the world still doesn't know anything. But once they learn what happened here it's gonna be bad for Hunters."_

 _I had half the mind to say that we did what we could given the circumstances and if someone had a problem with it they could fuck off for all I care. Instead I decided to change the topic; this wasn't the time to get confrontational. "What else did you talk about?"_

 _Ruby remained silent for a minute. When she finally looked at me, there was a strange distant look in her eyes. "Qrow said that I killed that... dragon Grimm thing flying around the school. But I don't remember anything..."_

 _The girl seemed so hopelessly confused._

" _You don't?" I wondered._

" _Not a thing." Ruby shook her head. "I remember running to the Beacon tower to help Pyrrha and Jaune against Cinder. Then I saw the Tower's top explode. When I finally got there I saw you lying on the ground, both legs bent the wrong way and the Grimm dragon looming over you... I know I heard Cinder telling the monster to kill you... and afterwards it's just a blur."_

" _I think I can fill in some blanks for you." I said quietly. "You just popped up right in between me and that..._ thing _, just as it was about to eat me. I don't know how to explain it but you were glowing with some strange, silvery light. Then the next thing I know, you were slashing away at the monster, moving so fast that you were literally a blur. Then I passed out... and woke up here." I took her hand in mine and squeezed. "I don't know what or how you did it but you saved my life."_

" _Too bad I don't remember it happening. I heard mostly from uncle Qrow what happened." The younger girl sighed._

" _Yeah... But how did you do... whatever it was you did?" I asked._

" _Dunno... I got really angry and- It just happened."_

" _Just like that, huh?"_

" _Qrow said he knows where those superpowers came from. He told me about 'silver-eyed warriors'."_

" _What about them?"_

" _'Those born with silver eyes are destined to walk the path of a warrior', or so he said. Those silver-eyed warriors were the best of the best. It's said even the most powerful Grimm were afraid of them; that's how good those people were." Ruby shook her head, staring blankly at the wall before her. "But that's just a story."_

" _You know, there's a grain of truth to every tale." I told her. "I know what I saw. If all that talk about silver-eyed warriors was just a silly story for kids, you would've been Grimm chow by now, like me. But the wyvern is dead, and we're not."_

" _So... you believe it? That I'm special, like Qrow said?" She asked timidly._

 _How could I possibly respond to that kind of question?_

" _I think you're the only one who can answer that question. But you did fight a beast that looked nearly invincible and won. That gotta amount to something, right?"_

 _That was the first time that day I saw her smile._

 _*** End flashback ***_

I never noticed someone entering my room... until my bed creaked softly as someone sat down on it.

"So... feeling any better?"

I looked away from the window to see Arslan sitting at my side. I must've dozed off because I would've heard her entering.

"Not much." There wasn't anything else to say, really. My current situation sucked no matter how I'd look at it and I wasn't about to lie to anyone, not even myself.

Where was the point in that, anyway...

Her eyes wandered to the sleeping feline snuggled against my side. "Huh, didn't know you had a cat, Tan."

"It belongs to my friend. _"_ I explained. "He found it a few days ago in the streets downtown. It ran off when monsters invaded. Since the little guy is currently homeless, we decided to kepe him with us."

"At least he'll keep you company when the rest of us are out there fighting."

"Speaking of which, how are you guys doing?"

"About as well as you'd expect these days. Another day, another battle." Arslan sighed wearily. "It's a small miracle we get any rest. So many need our help yet we just can't be everywhere at once."

Damn it, I wanted to be out there with them. Yet this is how things happened; they were risking their lives in Vale City and the near outskirts while I was stuck here being completely useless. I couldn't even get off my bed without someone's help. Every day, there was this sinister shadow looming over me; the fear that some of those that set out on a mission might never come back again.

"How bad is it out there?"

"Believe it or not, but Grimm are giving Beacon a wide berth and there isn't even that many of them in the city. Doesn't mean they won't attack when they see us. Most of the time we're scavenging the place for supplies, anything we can save from the rubble."

"So you have it pretty easy, then."

She scoffed at my reply. " _Easy?_ Not in the slightest; just because we don't have to fight monsters so often doesn't mean we have an easy time. In fact, I think you should be glad that you don't have to go out there with the rest of us."

I frowned. "Why?"

Arslan didn't reply at first. When she spoke again, there was a hard edge to her voice. "We control only a smart portion of Vale City. The rest is Grimm territory and most soldiers keep their distance. That means it's up to Hunters, full-fledged or students, to clear out monster dens, pick up supplies or look for any survivors. Most of the time we find only corpses, though." She shuddered visibly. "Dead bodies riddled with bullets, mauled by claws and fangs, broken, burned, torn into pieces... with no one to bury them, left just where they met their demise. I've seen many students heave their guts at the sight. Some of them have nightmares to this day."

I knew damn well what she meant. After the mission in the Dust mine, it was hard for all of us to get some sleep since the images of slaughtered miners wormed their way into our dreams. What those people saw out in the city's ruins had to be much, much worse.

"Worst of all," Arslan continued, rubbing her eyes. "we keep seeing that over and over again since they keep sending us out there several times a day. We're exhausted during daytime and at night we can't even get a proper rest because of bad dreams."

"So they send you out that often?" I know I shouldn't be so surprised, but still...

"Not because they like to see us suffer. There are simply too few of us." Arslan replied. "Some of your guests from other academies left right after the tournament scandal. True, the rest helped out when monsters started converging on the city. But the disaster was the breaking point; especially due to casualties, the other academies pulled their students back home... and only few chose to stay and assist the locals."

"Yeah, I heard about that." I heard rumors that most of the visiting students were among those evacuated, although they left after the Grimm invasion abruptly ended. The lofty words about peace, friendship and cooperation didn't hold true for long, it seemed. After the heaviest fighting ceased, we were mostly on our own.

"Atlas pulled back everyone they could and so did Vacuo. The latter, I could understand; those guys have enough of their own problems. Atlas? They're comfortable inside their own little bubble. Vale is thousands of miles away, what happens here isn't their problem." I didn't miss the heavy sarcasm in her voice. "All in all, Mistralians are the only ones that helped out, though some of them left, too."

"It was their choice, right?" When she nodded, I continued. "Why did _you_ stay? And how did you convince your teammates?"

Arslan sighed heavily. "That's... a long and complicated story, and a lot of things that happened, well, I prefer not to talk about them, if you don't mind."

"What _can_ you tell me?"

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" The Mistrali muttered under her breath and then continued at a normal volume. "I'll just say that my mother didn't agree with my choice of career. So strongly that we've fallen out."

I winced sympathetically. "How bad was it?"

"We argued, I got angry and stormed out of the house, never to return. That was... about a year ago. In the end, Haven became my home. I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"How so?"

Arslan gave me a look that clearly said 'You don't want to go there'. "It's personal. Maybe one day I'll tell you, but not now."

I knew better than to keep prying. "Okay, I'll stop asking. But why did you guys decide to stay in Vale?"

She shot me a look. "Why do you think? Because helping people is our calling and this was my big chance to do my part. My teammates understood when I made my choice and decided to stick with me."

"And what about their families?"

"They don't know anything. And they won't until the CCT is fixed, which will be a while. Once it's up and running, then we might return to Mistral, but no before. Besides, believe it or not, I actually made some friends here. It didn't feel right to just leave them."

Part of me wanted to point out that she and her team put themselves in great danger by staing in this warzone. But on the other hand, we all knew what we were signing up for when we enrolled to our respective schools.

And I was actually glad that she stayed here. She was a good friend... and secretly, I wanted her to be much more...

"Anyway, how long 'till they let you out of here?" I was glad she broke me out of my day dream before my thoughts could wander somewhere... _inappropriate._

"My left leg's not healing as well as it should." I admitted. "Worst case scenario, I might need another surgery."

She nodded. "I heard what happened. Fractures like this don't heal easily."

"So it means another week or two in this dump." I remarked with a sour face.

"Tan, I know it's a bit too early to make such plans, but..." Arslan seemed to hesitate a bit. "Once the doctors allow you to train again, maybe I could help you get back into shape... if I'm not on a mission or something."

At first I thought I was hallucinating; from loneliness, boredom. But given the way she stared at me, intently, waiting for a response, I realized she wasn't joking around.

 _So... a date?_

I wouldn't refuse any opportunity to be with her, and at the moment it just didn't matter to me that Arslan might not return my feelings. Sooner or later she'd have to return to Mistral and I wanted to make whatever time we had left count.

Not to mention that I sure as hell could use some help. Weeks spent in hospital bed would seriously mess up my fighting abilities which took me years to perfect. Getting back into my top shape just wouldn't happen overnight and I didn't even know how much longer I'd be stuck in the hospital. In short, it would take weeks, months even, before I could rejoin my team. If someone helped me out it just might speed up the process...

Arslan might've been right. It was way too early for any plans because, let's face it, who knows what could happen in the following days. It still didn't stop me from saying 'yes'.

* * *

Author's note: _Dear readers, first off I'd like to apologize for late update (I realize I do that quite a lot lately). I was struck with a bad case of writer's block and it took me a while to get over it. If you find the quality of this chapter sub-par, all I can say is 'I'm sorry and I'll do better next time'. I've also got a pretty packed semester so I don't know if I'll even be able to update in any regular intervals. But I'll sure as hell try...  
_

 _The continuation of 'To be a Huntsman' is still a WIP. Gotta take into account all the changes to the canon story and information about Remnant and its lore which is still largely incomplete. There are a few ideas floating around but I need to really think it through to, well, stay true to the main idea of the RWBY storyline... which is a pretty tall order, in my humble opinion._

 _To_ xXShadowMatrixXx _: Thanks for the review! I appreciate any positive response. Though initially I had different plans (you probably know what I mean), in hindsight Yang/Roland as a pairing is a better choice, I think. As for the ship name... I'd probably call it Dragon's breath, after the incendiary shotgun rounds. Fits in with the fire and guns theme. But if anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	8. What the future brings

Chapter 8 – What the future brings: Collection of snippets

 _Canon_

 _Genre: humor, action, drama_

 _Time: set after 'To be a Huntsman', time unspecified_

 _Rating: T_

 _Warnings: randomness, possible spoilers!_

* * *

It was 6:30 am. The alarm clock on a nightstand began ringing. Exactly second later it exploded in a shower of sparks as a gunshot violently tore it to pieces.

"You know, I think I'll be taking those gauntlets away from you when you go to sleep." A male voice said with a hint of amusement. "We can't afford to buy a new alarm clock every other day."

The sheets on the bed were thrown aside.

"Then we'll just have to do without it." The female turned over on the bed to face her companion, her long golden hair splayed over the pillow.

„And then we'll turn up late for whatever assignment Goodwitch has in store for us." The man replied, setting his olive brown eyes on the girl at his side. "Dunno if you feel like facing her wrath but I don't."

"Then I guess I'll have to depend on you to wake me up in time..." She snuggled closer to him.

He gave an impish smirk in return. "And how do you imagine I do that, hmm?"

A pair of arms wrapped around her. One of flesh and bone, the other of cold hard steel. She was slowly getting used to that feeling, though it did not make it any less strange.

True love had overcome much worse obstacles than that. Sounded almost like a fairy tale... though the reality they lived in could not be any further from it.

"That's a good start..." She sighed, relishing the warmth of his embrace. Then his lips met hers in a slow, loving kiss.

* * *

Series of quick steps and short leaps around a training dummy, much like fighting a real enemy in a life-or-death scenario. From an outside perspective, it looked like she was dancing...

Until pain flared through her left leg and forced her to interrupt her intense training routine. She cursed under her breath as she stumbled, nearly dropping to her knees.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a break?" A feminine voice sounded to her left. "You've been going at it for hours now."

"No... I have to... keep going." She spat out through clenched teeth.

It had been nearly two months since her injury during the battle for Beacon. A good half of it she was confined to a hospital bed, unable to leave her room without someone's help. She was forced to undergo multiple surgeries, just to make sure her broken legs would heal properly. At first, the doctors weren't even sure if she'd ever make a full recovery... if she could ever return to the Huntress career. But somehow she was lucky... or as lucky as she could possibly get, given her unenviable position.

Some time ago, she was finally allowed to do some light training to exercise her leg muscles after weeks of inactivity.

It was harder than she imagined.

Weeks of being bedridden really did a number on her stellar footwork. Half the time she felt like she was just stumbling around like a lame drunk. And her left leg, which suffered the worst during her "accident", still kept acting up.

Yes, she made significant progress, in no small part thanks to her dear friend Arslan... but it still wasn't enough. Not to her.

"Seriously Tan, you need to slow down." The dark skinned Mistrali chided, kneeling down next to her. "Doctors told you not to strain that leg too much. It's not even a month since the last surgery; do you want to end up with your leg in a cast again?"

She wanted to argue. For the last two months she had to sit back and watch her friends risk their lives fighting monsters, White Fang, brigands and scavengers. Her teammates had to be assigned to other teams since she was "indisposed." The only thing on her mind was to get back in action as soon as possible.

But nothing is ever easy, is it?

"You know I hate being stuck here, Ars."

The other girl rolled her eyes. "And you know that I hate that damn nickname." She groused. "If Reese knew that you call me by one of my... _physical attributes_ she'd never let me hear the end of it!"

 _I can't help it when it's so pretty,_ Tan thought with a grin. Arslan's company was both a blessing and a curse. Blessing, because she helped her recover and kept her company when the rest of the gang couldn't, and because she was so nice and supportive. Curse, because Tan was slowly falling for her... and Arslan never gave a hint that she might return her feelings, too. It was driving her crazy... and it didn't help any that Arslan was so easy on the eyes, too.

Despite herself, Tan laughed. "Okay, I'll stop with the nickname."

"So nice of you." Arslan huffed. "Okay, you'll take a break now. Ten minutes; no arguing, no complaining. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm serious. I won't have you messing your leg up again on my watch." The girl then grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto her feet.

Tan did her best to ignore the way her heart pounded wildly in her chest at the mere touch. "Yeah, yeah. Ten minutes, not a second longer."

* * *

"You're kidding, right?!"

The mohawked teen in the hospital bed blurted out, staring bug-eyed at the tall ginger looming over him.

"No, Russel. I'm not joking, not this time." Cardin Winchester replied, his voice devoid of any and all doubts.

In all honesty, a week ago he wouldn't be even thinking of doing this. However, a lot of things happened during that short time; namely the huge Grimm invasion that left most of the Vale City in ruins... with no small help from White Fang.

The disaster took a heavy toll on Beacon Academy and its students. Several died during the long, fierce battle and many more were wounded. There were student teams broken apart due to deaths and injuries... and CRDL was among those. To this day, Cardin was wondering what could've gone so horribly wrong that day. Maybe they neglected to keep track of the overall situation which led to them being cut off from others by monsters... or they simply got too cocky. In the end, it just didn't matter what exactly happened, as it destroyed team CRDL all the same.

First one to be taken down was Russel. He insisted on coming with them even though his wounds from an earlier skirmish still hadn't healed properly. His courage simply couldn't make up for the fact that he wasn't at his best. And it showed. During the battle, he had slower than usual and very soon the monsters targeted him as the weakest part of the team.

When Russel got buried under the onslaught of Grimm, Dove panicked and bolted to the rear guard, leaving rest of his team behind.

Cardin knew it wasn't the first time he pulled something like this. Hell, at some point, all his teammates bailed out on him. Like that time in Forevel Fall... or that one skirmish a few days after the Tournament scandal... or that fateful night of the Second breach. But Russel and Sky did at least try to redeem themselves after their failures.

Not the young Bronzewing, though. He left them when they needed him and Sky ended in coma because of it. If it weren't for a desperate counterattack of Atlesian troopers, they would've been all dead by now.

Alas, Dove didn't live long enough to regret his mistake.

From what they could tell, he got ambushed by Creeps halfway to the docks. An Atlesian officer said "there wasn't enough left of the boy to make even a half of his body." The bloodied pistol sword and fragments of armor were the only thing left of him.

After the tragedy of Vale, Cardin was alone. His teammates were either in the hospital or dead, as was the case of Bronzewing. Since there was no place left in the other teams that suffered losses and that he could be assigned to (or they simply didn't want him, he suspected), Cardin was essentially sidelined. The only thing he could do was help out with some menial tasks, which was something he got fed up with rather quickly.

He hated being stuck at Beacon, doing nothing and being useless like a fifth wheel on a wagon... especially when those that caused the destruction of Vale City got off scot free.

It was a reason why he made a potentially very dangerous decision.

"They'll kick you out if they learn about this. You know that, right?" Russel argued.

"I know... and I don't care."

There was no way he'd be sitting on his ass while those White Fang _animals_ celebrated their recent success at killing thousands of humans and getting away with it. He was convinced that he'd do more good fighting out there on his own terms instead of being stuck here waiting for a permission to get back into the field. Plus, there were many other people out there seeking to bring those Faunus bastards to justice, he was sure of that. Perhaps he could join forces with those people; they could certainly use a Huntsman among their ranks.

"Dude, you know Goodwitch doesn't condone vigilantism. If she caught wind of what you're planning, you'd be in deep shit. All of us would be."

"I'm not asking you to come with me." Cardin replied coldly. "All I need from you is to forget what I've just told you as soon as I'm gone."

"And what about our team?" Russel protested. "What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Our team is _done_ , Rus!" Cardin shot back. "You're still recovering and it will take you a week at least to get back into fighting shape. And Sky... we still don't know when he wakes up. _If_ he wakes up, that is." As for Dove... hell, he didn't even want to think abot that guy, let alone speak about him. "And as for me, I'm sick of having a proverbial fucking ball-and-chain on my leg and having nothing to do!" Taking a deep breath, he continued at a much lower volume. "I'm more useful fighting out there and if Goodwitch and co. don't see it, their loss. I'm leaving, and I'm not changing my mind about it."

There was a moment of tense silence until Russel spoke in a melancholic, resigned tone. "Okay, Cardin. If that's your choice, I'm not gonna try talking you out of it. It's not like I'm in a position to stop you."

The ginger snorted. "Even at your full health, you wouldn't stop me."

"I guess not." Russel chuckled. "Just watch yourself out there. The Fangers don't play fair."

"Neither do I, Russel. Neither do I."

Later that night, Cardin hastily packed up and snuck out of the campus, his backpack containing only the bare necessities. When the staff found out his room was vacant, it was too late.

* * *

"Hey guys, have you heard that talk about Black Panther?"

Neptune's teammates only responded with reluctant nods. Everyone was too tired to speak.

Team SSSN had returned from another mission deep inside Grimm territory which now included most of Vale City. This time, they were to explore the old White Fang hideout under the Mountain Glenn. It turned out the place was abandoned, by the terrorists, that is. Sun and his team still had to get rid of numerous Grimm infesting the caverns. The clean up took an hour at least and left them all thoroughly exhausted. On the bright side though, they found some of the Dust Torchwick stole during his 'joint venture' with the Fang. It meant that their effort had paid off, since Beacon desperately needed supplies.

Alas, the boys couldn't find it in them to feel proud of their well-done job... and that went double for Sun.

The monkey boy wasn't quite the same after Blake suddenly left. He spent the next few days dragging his teammates around the time in a hopeless search for the cat girl until they got fed up with it. Then he seemingly made peace with all that and everything went back to normal. Neptune knew him too well to know that he still hadn't quite gotten over the dissapearance of the girl he had a crush on. He saw through the brave face he put on before others; his smiles were too forced and as much as he tried to appear happy, there was no heart to it. And after the catastrophe of Vale, he gave up on the act entirely.

In short, Neptune was worried about his old friend, but Sun wouldn't talk about whatever was bothering him and he didn't want to be too pushy. Plus, they all had other problems and Sun showed time and time again that he could focus on his duties as a team leader in spite of his personal matters.

Even with communications down, news from all over the Kingdom were reaching Vale and Beacon, both good and bad.

The rumors of a mysterious avenger, though... nobody knew if there was any truth to it or if it was all just a hoax. But Neptune somehow felt it might be important.

"Why did that get you so interested all of a sudden?" Sage sat up on his bed and gave Neptune a curious stare. "Black Panther isn't the only vigilante out there, not after the festival massacre."

"Well yeah, but... Don't you find it kind of mysterious?"

Scarlet scoffed. "Everyone's out to take down the Fang these days. This 'Panther' bloke ain't nothing special."

"It's a chick, actually."

Silent until this moment, Sun perked up. "How would you know that?" He asked.

"Some of the refugees saw her on several occasions." Neptune explained. "First when she helped a few civvies make it to the docks during the Grimm invasion. Others saw her fighting White Fang thugs and winning, even when outnumbered, like, five to one."

Sage gave a low whistle. "Sounds like a badass... and someone I'd like to meet someday."

"Of course you would! If you're lucky, she might turn out to be a dominatrix!" Scarlet laughed and earned a middle finger for his remark.

"Alright, all jokes aside," Neptune continued. "Panther seems to do her best to stay out of sight 'cause no one got a good look at her. But everyone's sure that she's a girl, wearing mostly black and white and keeping a filthy white scarf wrapped around her head."

"She probably wants to stay incognito." Sage guessed. "I'm not surprised; someone like her is bound to make some enemies sooner or later."

"From what I've heard, she does seem to have a grudge against the Fang, _and_ anyone connected to them. Soldiers from Atlas found several dead goons during their patrols, all of them bearing slash and gunshot wounds; plus there are the rumors about their outpost in Forever Fall that got blown up a few days ago. Some say it might be her work."

Sun narrowed his eyes at the blue haired womanizer. "You seem to know a lot about her."

"I'm just relaying what the folk said, nothing more." Neptune replied, not put off by Sun's attitude. "It's not like it matters, anyway. There hasn't been a word about Black Panther in days now."

"You think she's dead?" Scarlet asked.

Neptune shrugged in reply. "Maybe... or she simply found new hunting grounds, if you know what I mean. The Fang pulled out of Vale after the invasion and they left only a few hidden outposts behind. I think the Panther may have followed them."

"Or _stalked_ them, more like." Sage muttered.

"Wait a moment," Scarlet interjected. "Now I remembered; after the Festival massacre," _And after Blake ran away,_ Neptune added mentally. "The cops and vigilantes nabbed a lot of Fangers, even some top dogs that were evading them for years before. Rumors said that someone tipped them off. Think the Panther chick might've had a hand in that?"

"Hmm... Don't know much about that but I suppose everything's possible."

"Guys, maybe you'd want to stop wasting time chatting about trivial stuff and get some sleep before they send us out to the fields?" Sun interjected with the edge of irritation to his voice. "We don't get to just sit back and rest very often these days, you know."

"Guys, he's right. We should rest while we still can."

Neptune didn't plan to argue with Scarlet about that. Deep down, he couldn't help it but think that Sun has gotten rather prickly as of late. Not to the point where he'd be shouting at anyone for no reason but... There were moments when he came on a bit too strong. Definitely stronger than necessary but Neptune understood. A lot of bad things happened lately and the resulting frustration just kept piling up.

And from the looks of it, things were likely to get worse before they'd start getting better.

* * *

The first time Emery disappeared, Nicolaus was beside himself with worry. Every time his partner ran off without telling anyone, trouble would soon follow. When he later found him on the roof of the dormitory building, the same place Pyrrha and Jaune would usually train, he was very surprised, thinking that tracking the big guy down would be much harder than that.

When the same happened next time, and the time after that and so on, Nicolaus understood. Sometimes, people just need to get away from everything, to have some time alone to think and reflect... And Emery had a lot on his mind.

So when in this particular evening the giant swordsman vanished seemingly without trace, Nicolaus knew where to go.

He found him at his usual place, sitting on the edge of the roof and watching the sun slowly disappear behind the horizon.

"So, what's bugging you now?"

Emery snorted at the question. "You should ask 'what isn't'.'"

"Do you wanna talk about it?" The fox Faunus said as he sat down beside him.

Emery shrugged. "Might as well. Moping alone won't fix anything, anyway." He set his eyes on the setting sun again. "I'm worried... Of what comes next, that what happened to Vale and Beacon isn't the end of our problems."

"Hmm. It goes without saying that there will yet be troubles ahead of us."

"It's not just that, Nick. It's-" Emery sighed heavily. "It's not knowing what comes next what has me worried. I mean, the breach and the invasion of Grimm was bad enough. If something even worse happens... Then we might be done for, _for real_."

"Yeah, we're all afraid." Nicolaus muttered. "I guess we should be glad that things are under control, for now at least."

"I guess... Still, I'd like to hear some good news for once."

"Such as Yang and Roland hooking up?"

Emery chuckled quietly. "Can't say I saw _that_ coming. Now Pyr and Jaune, that's another story."

"You tell me, buddy. I heard there was even a betting pool on them."

"You're kidding."

"Scout's honor. I know it means nothing since I never was in the Scouts but you know what I mean." The fox Faunus joked, earning a laugh from his partner.

There was a brief moment of silence before Emery spoke again. "I miss the days before this whole mess. Things were much simpler when we didn't have to worry about anything outside studies and training... When I didn't know who or what I was..."

"That still bugging you?"

"Being a washout from a super secret military program? Or my life as I knew it being a complete lie? Not really. It's other stuff related to that what bothers me."

Nicolaus knew instantly where he was going with this.

"Like what? Neo not being as much of a kindred spirit as you thought?"

Emery made a distasteful grimace. "That girl is the least of my worries right now." It was unusual to hear the ususally mellow boy speak in such an angry tone. "She was one of us, the guys that wanted out of that hellhole we were kept in for years! And unlike most of us, she escaped. She had a chance to live a normal life... and did she do with it? Became a pet assassin for some poseur gangster! I thought she'd want to stay out of killing after what the Project guys did to her! … But maybe she just didn't give a damn from the start." The blonde exhaled heavily. "Okay, bottom line: I don't care about Neo."

"But it's something else." The fox Faunus observed. "Connected to the both of you, I'd wager."

"Back before the Tournament scandal, when we were actually talking, Neo told me that the guy that headed Ajax project was still alive... and trying to catch any kids that survived. The bastard hired some goons to bring us back to him. They tracked Neo down but she got rid of them... and warned me they might be after me too."

Nicolaus froze at the news. "And why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"They didn't find me so far, I think. Either that, or they just don't want to waste their time looking for me in this chaos."

Nicolaus didn't feel so confident about it, though. The all-present chaos after the fall of Vale was a double edged weapon and it would help both Emery _and_ his pursuers, whoever they were, to stay unnoticed. Only the Beacon authorities had the resources to keep intruders away... but that meant telling them everything about Emery's history. Which was why he rejected that idea.

They'd have to deal with this problem themselves.

"And you're not afraid what happens if they find you?"

"The only way the project guys get me back is in a body bag." Emery spat out. "They stole my life once; I'm not gonna let it happen again."

"I know... And if they want you so badly, they'll have to get through me and the rest of our gang."

Emery laughed despite himself. "I almost feel sorry for anyone that stands against us. _Almost._ "

The sun had set a good while ago and the night was falling down on Beacon an the ruins of Vale.

"You know... there's something I wanted to ask you." Nicolaus began after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?"

"I realize it's a tough question and you don't have to answer but... Have you ever wondered how your life would look like if it weren't for the Project?" When his partner gave a slow nod, he continued. "And did you ever wish things were different?"

For good several seconds, Emery simply stared at him. Then he heaved a sigh and turned away. "Think I'm gonna disappoint you, Nick... I wasn't really in the right, um, _state of mind_ to think about anything on the project. Until few weeks ago, I didn't even know it existed, or that I was a part of it. And even now... I just don't feel that I'd even want to change anything, if I had the chance."

"Why?"

"Well, something good did come out of all that misery. It led me here, and I just feel like _this_ " He gestured towards the campus below them. "is where I'm meant to be. I'm part of something _good_ for once, fighting for a good cause. If I changed anything, I'd lose it all... including my friends and teammates without whose help I'd remain just as lost as I was when I first came here. So, to sum it all up: I regret nothing." Emery finished and stood up.

Nicolaus had to admit, this wasn't the kind of response he expected. Project Ajax was just messed up, it subjected its young recruits to the most horrible and repulsive treatment and destroyed so many lives, not only the kids but their parents and the few of those that worked for the project. Like Mendel Lenius, Emery's would-be adoptive father. After all that, it seemed unbelievable that Emery would say the words 'I regret nothing.' One might think the boy might be too forgiving... Nicolaus knew him better than that, though.

The 'cloud with the silver lining' metaphor was as good reason as any, such as the chance for a normal life fighting for 'a good cause'. What Emery didn't mention were the powers he gained thanks to Ajax's experiments, like the superhuman strength and _insanely_ fast regeneration ability which already saved his life once. One might call it a 'blessing in disguise'...

As someone whose life too hasn't been exactly easy, Nicolaus could relate. He fought for an organization that gladly got rid of him when he wouldn't accept its doctrines... but the training he received allowed him to enroll to Beacon and change his life for better. Something good did come out of his short career with White Fang, after all.

"I think I'm gonna head back inside." Emery said and began walking towards the exit. "Grab a bite to eat in the mess hall, maybe check on the gang... Coming with?"

"Sounds like a great idea; I was getting a little peckish myself." Nicolaus chuckled and followed his teammate and friend. "Let's go."

* * *

It's been a month since the almost complete destruction of Vale City.

While there was already some minor reconstruction work in progress in the districts under the control of the Atlesian army, it would take _years_ before the life in the ruined city returned to normal. Engineers still hadn't managed to get the cross-continental communcation systems working and courier aircraft could only do so much, despite the pilots working overtime. And the news they brought back weren't good, for the most part... The long-range communications between Kingdoms were still knocked out, despite the technicians working day and night to fix them. Only the few chosen knew of the fate that befell Vale city and so far, for reasons known only to the leaders, other Kingdoms didn't offer any significant help.

Worse, after the wyvern Grimm was slain, the numbers of monsters in the area dwindled gradually. However, that only gave White Fang to move back in; while they weren't strong enough for a full scale war, they quickly became a nuisance, sabotaging the reconstruction works and stealing incoming supplies.

As for the perpetrators of the fall of Vale, not a word was heard of them, like if they vanished into thin air. Although, with enough determination and the right skillset, one could find traces where most other people saw nothing.

When it came to tracking down things, or people, Qrow Branwen was one of the best, and it was thanks to him that Beacon leaders discovered signs of suspicious activity, in what would turn out to be a system of underground caves on the frontiers of the kingdom...

* * *

Author's note: _Alright, for once I thought I might try something a bit different instead of a usual full-length chapter. This is what could be the part one in the Collection of snippets that might contain some spoilers for the sequel of 'To be a Huntsman'. Right now, I have some ideas on where I want to take the series but as of this moment the college is keeping me busy and I won't be able to update as often as I'd like. All I can do is try and hope it gets better over time..._

 _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_


	9. Letters from the field: part one

Hunters and life

Chapter 9 – Letters from the field: part one

 _Canon_

 _Genre: drama_

 _Time: set after 'To be a Huntsman', first two weeks after the fall of Vale  
_

 _Rating: T_

* * *

 _Hey mom,_

 _first off, sorry if my writing is hard to read. While my new arm performs real great at combat and other 'heavy duty' kind of stuff, it turns out the more delicate things like writing require a bit more getting used to. Don't worry, I'll do my best to get better in the next letter._

 _Secondly, I have no idea where this letter will actually end up. Atlesians keep telling me that they keep track of every refugee from Vale City and they'd make sure the letter will reach you but I still have my doubts. If you're reading this, could you tell me where exactly did you end up? I might get the chance to visit you if some of my missions takes me close to your current whereabouts._

 _Anyway, things have calmed down a bit around here since the attack. We kept our hold on Beacon Academy and amazingly enough, the Atlesian grunts downtown also held their ground in the docks and surrounding areas. Still, we have our hands full even now. There's always an occasional group of bandits or White Fang guerrillas or stray pack of monsters that needs to be taken care of... and guess who they'll call? Every Beacon student that can fight spents more time out there fighting than at school. True, they do everything without any complaining but that doesn't mean they're alright. With everything that's happened lately, I mean. I see it in their eyes, exhaustion, gloom, fear of whatever might come next... And many of them lost someone during the Grimm invasion; friends, family members, relatives... loved ones. Not even my team was spared of the losses._

 _Tanya's been in a bad way since the city fell. During the final skirmish up here at Beacon she got both her legs badly broken. It's gonna be a while before she can walk again. And if that wasn't enough... She lost her dad and damn near lost her brother, too. Fangers interecepted them when they tried to get to the docks. Bastards trapped them inside their house and tried to burn them alive. Somehow they got out but her dad suffered heavy burns and died the next day in Beacon's infirmary. I don't think I need to tell you how it affected her. I visit Tan in the infirmary whenever I get the chance but I suspect it's gonna take a lot more than that for her to get better. Half of Emile's gang is gone, too. Chips got torn to pieces by Grimm; soldiers identified his remains just yesterday. Ellie just vanished, no one knows where she's gone._

 _All in all, things are still a mess here. We barely have the time to cope with the Vale disaster, or to mourn the people we lost, with all the work that needs to be done here. We just have no choice but to keep moving forward, that's all we can do. I can only hope that you are all okay after this whole mess. I still keep thinking about how you're doing these days. I can't contact you directly since communcations are down and courier aircraft can only do so much work. The delays between letters are probably gonna drive me crazy... but I'm willing to wait if it means I get to hear from you. I hope this letter will reach you as soon as possible. Don't forget to say hi to dad and lil' Saph for me, okay?_

 _Take care of yourselves, all of you. I hope to see you again soon._

 _Roland_

 _oOo_

 _Dear Roland,_

 _I wasn't even sure this letter would reach you since the communications are still down and courier planes are hopelessly overtaxed. But the letter from you did arrive, even though with quite a delay, so there's the hoping you will receive this sooner or later._

 _I'm sure you can imagine how relieved we were when you letter finally came to us, especially little Saph. The poor girl doesn't take it well that you're gone, out in that horrid place Vale city has become. At least we know you're doing alright, or well enough given the circumstances, I suppose._

 _Our transport dropped us off at the city of Abri along with other refugees that managed to escape that hellhole. Abri couldn't take care of everyone so some of them had to be sent into surrounding towns and villages. Our family was assigned to Donjon-de-fer; a strange place it is, something between a small town and a military outpost. It's the best I can do at describing it. Shortly after we arrived your father got approached by a commander of the local garrison (I got the impression that the two of them knew each other) and now he works as a shooting instructor. He was so worried about the job at first; the soldiers wouldn't like taking orders from some cripple, he said. But in the end, he decided to give it a try... There have been no problems so far and I think Eugene is actually enjoying his new job. As for me and Sapphire, we spend most of the time helping out in the local refugee center the town set up after the news from Vale City spread in there._

 _All in all, we can't really complain about our current situation; a roof over our heads, warm meal every day, work to keep us occupied and distract us from the fact that we're essentially homeless now... But the first few weeks were chaotic, to put it mildly. Can you imagine what the locals thought when a huge crowd of strangers, numbering hundreds, even thousands of people, showed up at their door? Truth to be told, we didn't receive what you could call a warm welcome. Many of them even called upon the town council to 'throw the drifters out'. They just had no idea that a tragedy occurred inside their Kingdom. When it was finally announced that Vale City was destroyed, our hosts became more... conciliatory. Locals are getting used to our presence but I still receive dirty looks every now and then. Guess you really can't win them all..._

 _But I'm sure our current troubles are nothing compared to what you must be going through in that dreaded place. I'm sorry to hear what happened to your friends. Such tragedies never get any easier, do they... It's horrible what happened to Tanya's father; I hope the poor girl will get better soon. Just make sure you or your friends keep her company whenever possible; she may not outright say it but I'm sure she needs someone at her side in such difficult time. Even now, there are many people refusing to believe that Vale City met such a horrible fate. Most of the city razed to the ground by monsters that only got inside because those White Fang murderers blew a hole in the city's bulwark. Sometimes I dream that I'm back in Arcwind, me, my family and all our neighbors, with armed troopers in Grimm masks surrounding us and herding us like cattle. I could feel the deep, irreconcilable hatred radiating off of them... How far they were willing to go to see us all dead. Saph still has nightmares about that day._

 _We don't get many news about Vale here in Donjon-de-fer. I hear that Atlesians are still there trying to keep things under control so at least some people could return, and I trust that you and your friends at Beacon Academy are doing your part in all that, in spite of all the monsters and terrorists crawling around. I know you'll want payback for everything that's happened but I beg you, be careful. It takes a single misstep for a tragedy to happen and those Fang bastards know no mercy. Keep your wits about you no matter what, please. I've lost enough already; my home, people I called friends... I don't want to lose my son as well._

 _I remember the promise you gave us back home before Atlesian took us away, and you better hold to that. Come back alive; we'll be waiting for you._

 _Love,_

 _Mom_

 _PS: I realize it might be too much to ask, given that the communications are still knocked out, but try and write more often, for Saph's sake, at least. She's been a bundle of nerves until your first letter arrived._

* * *

 _Desi, my boy,_

 _I really hope this letter will reach you. It's been a goddamned mess after monsters invaded and destroyed Vale City. It took me a lot of asking around just to learn if you were alive and well and defunct communications were only complicating things. I wanted to go to Beacon to seek you out in person but the Atlesians didn't let me and ferried me to Patch instead. There's a large refugee camp in there, so many wounded and too few doctors. So much work to do, patching up the wounded, when the medical personal is scarce around here. I've seen things here that would make even the most hardened veteran heave their guts; be glad you don't have to be here._

 _I wish I could write something a bit longer than that but like I've said, there's so much work to be done and so little time to rest. I'll just say I was so relieved to hear you made it through this disaster alive; I don't think I could live with the thought that I'd never see you again._

 _Take care of yourself and please, write back as soon as you can._

 _Mom_

 _oOo_

 _Hey mom,_

 _you have no idea how happy I am to know that you're alive and well, or as well as you can get after Vale city got destroyed by monsters. I couldn't get in touch with you when the Grimm invaded and when a week went by and I still didn't hear from or about you, I was starting to fear the worst. I really don't mind that your letter was short; hearing that you're okay is good enough for me._

 _As for myself, I've got a lot to tell you. There's a reason why I entrusted Ren and Nora with giving you this letter. They wouldn't read it, unlike some couriers too curious for their own good... So much has happened lately, and I don't mean just the destruction of Vale City and the battle of Beacon. There's no easy way for me to say it but I'd have to do it sooner or later so... here it goes._

 _Mom,_ I know everything. _And I know you know what I mean by that._

 _I know that I wasn't always this huge, slow kid that barely knew how to tie their own shoelaces. I know that I was a trainee in some super secret military project in Atlas, and that it wasn't by choice. I know that I wound up with you after my would-be Dad saved me from that hellhole and paid for it with his life._

 _I know that you're not my real mom, technically speaking I guess._

 _You knew all about this and kept it from me... though I don't hold it against you, believe me. You should know that I went through a 'personal hell' of sorts during my... I guess you could call it 'self-rediscovery'. Nightmares at night, flashbacks during daytime. At least I had my teammates and friends around to help._

 _Then one of my acquaintances (or 'inmates' is probably more like it) from the project came around. She's... complicated. She did fill in the blanks, the stuff I didn't get when my memories started coming back. What I learned from her helped me a lot to cope with all this but... We've drifted apart over the years. She took a path I don't agree with and keeps some dangerous friends. I don't think we'll be seeing one another in the future, unless something happens... I don't know._

 _Now that this is out of the way, I know you think that I'd want to cut all ties to you. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. I don't know who my real parents were. They might be dead for all I know or they moved on. Either way, I don't plan to look for them._

 _You're the only mother I know and I don't want to lose that. I'd never leave just because of something you had no control over. I only ask that you tell no one what I told you._

 _I'll drop by at Patch when I get the chance and I might bring someone with me too. I'll be looking forward for it._

 _With love_

 _Emery_

 _PS: I'm sure you're wandering why I'm signed under different name. You see, that is my real name and why oficially I'm still 'Desmond', I don't like using it anymore, for... personal reasons. We can talk more about that when I visit Patch._

* * *

Author's note: _The inspiration for this short piece came from a work posted on Archive Of Our Own; a Witcher fanfic called_ Yours truly _by Fen_Assan, also written as a bunch of letters between witcher Geralt and other characters of the Witcher-verse, namely Yennefer, Ciri, Zoltan, Regis (whoever played the games or read the novels knows who I'm talking about). It seemed pretty enjoyable and interesting so I thought I'd try something similar with my own fic. It's placed during the first few weeks after Grimm invasion into Vale, like I wrote in the note at the beginning._

 _Furthermore, I guess I owe you an apology for letting this fic gather dust (figuratively speaking) for so long. Since I still don't completely have a clear idea for the sequel to To be a Huntsman (I've got a draft for first few chapters but I'll need to wait for a bit more until I have a clearer idea where the actual series is going before I advance any further) I devoted all my creative energies into the Elder Scrolls fic I've had going for a while now. And since I'll be busy with the college finals and everything (and if everytihng goes well I'll be off to seek a job, hooray!) I won't be able to write as often as I'd like to._

 _Anyway, I got the idea for this update literally a few days ago and wrote it down in a day or so. Sorry about any typos if you find any. If ideas keep coming I might post another update till the end of the month, hopefully._


	10. The war is on

Hunters and life

Chapter 10 – The war is on

 _Canon_

 _Genre: action, drama, angst_

 _Time:_ _after the fall of Vale city (chapters 43 – 45 of 'To be a Huntsman')_

 _Rating: T_

Week seventh since the fall of Vale...

Not a lot changed since that fateful night, and if so, it was always a matter of debate whether for better or worse. Long range communications were still out, no matter how much material and effort was put into getting them up and running again. While most of the Grimm retreated Oum-knows-where, the White Fang was still out there, doing everyting in their power to sabotage reconstruction works downtown. With the terrorists still on the loose, the Hunters of Beacon Academy had their hands full, having only little time to rest. Most students from other academies who came to Vale for the Tournament were long gone, leaving only a dozen or two volunteers. Even after those injured during the Grimm invasion had mostly recovered, Beacon was still understaffed.

Worst of all, whatever remained of Vale City was largely left on its own and had to make do with the little help from the outside. When the leaders of other Kingdoms learned of the disaster that took place in Vale, they made the decision to keep it from public, to prevent a surge of panic. Any substantial aid to the ruined city would attract the wrong kind of attention and with that came the risk of information leak. And the Kingdom of Vale itself was in turmoil after its capital city fell to Grimm and it took enormous effort just to restore and maintain some semblance of order.

The overall situation could only be described as FUBAR... there just wasn't any other way to put it.

Despite all the difficulties and hindrances, the colleagues and partners of the late Headmaster Ozpin still continued their investigation into the White Fang, their associate/boss 'Cinder' and the mysterious entity called 'Queen', whoever it was. However, since their enemy's actions left them in such vulnerable and overall unenviable state, Ozpin's alliance was forced to do the unthinkable: To turn to their students for assistance.

The Hunters in training were thought too young to confront the horrors of the 'real world' and Goodwitch hated having to put the young warriors in danger again. Yet when the situation demanded it they fought, bled, even died without hesitation; their help and sacrifices saved many during the fall of Vale.

Those _children_ made the difference back then... and maybe they could do so again.

* * *

Outfitted for a field mission for probably the first time in weeks, Roland Peregrine, the sharpshooter of team TNDR, walked down the empty hallway, wearing the new light armor he had 'acquired' in Vale City a month ago. Until now, he and his friends were doing mostly various support tasks while combat missions were left for Atlesian troops and experienced Huntsmen. He couldn't help it but wonder what changed when he got a message on their Scrolls, ordering him to come to Goodwitch's office as soon as possible. Plus the message explicitly said to present himself in combat gear, which could only mean she had a mission for him, though he got no details. Besides that, Roland wondered if anyone else received the message... but he'd learn once he arrived.

A few minutes later he entered Goodwitch's office. However, much to his surprise, the blonde professor was nowhere in sight. Instead, it was Qrow Branwen waiting for him, along with Nick and Emery and a girl he found vaguely familiar... though he just couldn't quite place her.

"What took you so long?" Nick asked in an almost bored tone.

"I was in a gym when I got the message." The sharpshooter replied. "I needed some time to make myself _presentable._ "

Qrow Branwen chose that moment to interject. "Alright kids, you can chit-chat later. Right now, let's get down to business."

After all the shit he was put through lately, Roland loathed being called a 'kid'. But no one in their right mind talks back to Qrow Branwen, right?

"So, what did you call us here for?" Nick was the one to ask.

Qrow took a swig from his flask that he seemed to carry everywhere he went. "As you might know, Fang's been causing trouble again... and the recent intelligence suggests they're getting more serious than ever."

Roland frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I've been doing some scouting recently near Vale's southeastern borders. White Fang is heavily present in the area... and they're gearing up for a full-scale war."

"How do you know that?"

Qrow scoffed at Nick's question. "I've seen enough to know what they're up to, kid. They occupy some territory in the southern mountains but lately they started taking over nearby settlements, those _not_ razed to the ground by Grimm, that is. I also heard rumors of people disappearing in the area."

"Think the Fang might've had a hand in that?" Roland questioned. The more he learned the less he liked it all.

"Dunno but if so, I wouldn't be surprised." Branwen grunted. "Don't forget, we're dealing with lunatics that had no qualms about helping to destroy an entire city." It was a fair point. The Fang had completely shed any restraints; now, anything was a fair game.

"But I digress," The Hunter continued. "Everything suggest White Fang has a big base of operations in the area, though nobody knows where _exactly._ Naturally, the Vale's government is too busy to do anything about 'em so it falls to us to take care of it."

Roland exhaled sharply, quelling the anger rising within him. It wasn't like he was looking forward to fighting the Faunus terrorist again, but after so many atrocities he witnessed them commit during the Vale disaster... Old wisdom says "to each his due," and he was ready to give them exactly what they deserved. Not only for himself but for everyone who suffered due of their actions.

"So what's the mission?" The girl spoke up, silent until this moment. Roland didn't miss her flat, almost _apathetic_ tone _._

Qrow regarded her with a strange look in his eyes. "We're checking out Stone Creek, the last village to fall under Fang control, to see what they want with the place. If things go well, we'll try and find out where their base of operations is. What we're doing is mainly a recon mission, though it's possible we might have to fight the Fangers so I suggest you be ready for everything."

 _So we're basically being thrown into the thick of things barely knowing which way is up,_ Roland thought grimly. Though he suspected at this rate they just might have to start getting used to it. "When do we leave?"

"In a half an hour." Branwen chuckled at the students' surprised faces... except the violet-haired girl whose expression remained impassive. "We're going right into the Fang territory. Trust me, we don't want to stay any longer than we have to. Don't bother with supplies; everything we need is already loaded onto a VTOL. I'll see you at the landing pad, now go."

* * *

About an hour later, Qrow Branwen and the team NNPL, pronounced as 'napalm' (Ruby's uncle had a weird sense of humor), flew the aircraft heading for Vale's southeastern frontier. Since they were to leave Beacon within less than an hour, the students barely had a time to let their friends know about the upcoming mission. But when they arrived to Beacon's landing pad, a whole crowd was there to see them off... including both Branwen's nieces. Despite Qrow's presence, Yang didn't let Roland board the Bullhead without planting a 'good luck kiss' on his lips. She didn't even try to be stealthy about it. Much to the gunman's relief, Branwen showed no outward reaction; explaining himself to a drunk with an oversized sword-scythe and a bad attitude wasn't something he'd ever look forward to.

Predictably, Tanya didn't cope well with her team going off on a mission while she was being left behind. There was little she could do about it, other than wish 'her boys' luck; doctors hadn't allowed her back in combat yet and wouldn't do so for another few weeks. It thus fell to a student of Shade Academy, named Nebula Violette to lead her team for this mission.

The girl that lost her entire team to White Fang the night Vale City fell to Grimm... and barely survived the ordeal herself.

Roland had the feeling he had seen her before but if Nick didn't tell him he'd have trouble recognizing her. She may have recovered fairly quickly from her near-lethal injuries, but the tragedy changed her much, both mentally and physically. Compared to when he first saw her during the Tournament, she looked thin, feeble almost. Her cheeks were sunken, her face marred by four long scars running diagonally from her forehead right down to her chin, and her eyes which used to be full of life, had become dull. The girl barely even spoke to anyone now.

Oum only knows who had the idea to have her lead Tan's team. Would it even work out, given how... _damaged_ she was? Her personal problems aside, physically she just couldn't be one-hundred-percent fine, no matter what the doctors said... Roland knew it wasn't his place to question the professors' decision but still he had his doubts.

For now, he was simply content with observing the land below running past him, the silence disturbed only by humming of Bullhead's engines.

* * *

The flight took over five hours and during that time there was nothing to do but some small talk, taking a nap, or watching the land below. The tall jagged mountains with slopes covered in conifer forests rose gradually as the VTOL approached Vale's southeastern border. Beyond that, there was nothing but Grimmlands, teeming with monsters of all kinds and sizes. Stone Creek was situated on the 'right' side fo the mountains, but even though this natural barrier shielded the village from most Grimm, nothing in the world could prepare it for the assault from _within_ the Kingdom, as they found out the hard way.

Shortly after arrival, finding a place to land without alerting the Fang troopers nearby of their presence, in the ragged terrain filled with rocks, boulders and trees, turned out pretty challenging. When the pilot finally found a decent spot to land, it was two miles away from Stone Creek so Branwen and team NNPL were in for quite a trek. At least nobody complained, especially not Violette who barely said a word during the entire flight. Personally, Roland found it rather unnerving.

After exiting the Bullhead, Qrow set the course right for Stone Creek at a swift pace. There wasn't much open space in a land covered in thick forests so they were less likely to be spotted by the enemy, provided they kept quiet. Even then, Branwen wasn't about to take any chances. He decided to go ahead and look out for enemy scouts while the students followed a short distance after him.

White Fang had apparently become rather comfortable in this area because Qrow didn't run into any scouts, aside from that one 'greenhorn' that didn't even know what hit him before Qrow knocked him out and dumped him into the shrubs. The entire group managed to get to their destination without any incidents, only stopping right where the forest met the houses and fences.

By that time, the night was approaching, playing right into the Fang's hand; the night vision and all that. They had to hurry up.

Qrow decided to scout around. Moving around unseen was a walk in the park for him; nobody would notice him if he didn't want them to. Scouting proved his suspicion; White Fang was present in the village, even if the place wasn't exactly fortified against an assault. Strangely enough, civilians were nowhere to be seen; either they were dead or the Fang moved them somewhere else. Neither of these possibilities boded well.

"Listen up, kids." He ordered when he rejoined the student team. "There's a few grunts patrolling around the village. Luckily for us, they look tired so they won't pay much attention. Should be easy to slip past 'em."

"I sense a 'but' in there..." Nick muttered.

For some reason Branwen smirked briefly before slipping back to his serious demeanor. "Yeah, getting to the square might get tricky. They have an automated Paladin stationed there."

"Shit..." Roland cursed quietly. This might complicate things...

"How is that possible?" Nebula questioned, her voice slightly hoarse from disuse.

"Beats me how they got their paws on that thing." Branwen shrugged. "My point is, we'll avoid the thing if we can, but if it does come down to fighting, leave that pile of metal to me, alright?" The Hunters in training nodded wordlessly. "One more thing; we're only supposed to check this place out, what the Fang wants with it. But once the fighting starts, expect those guys to go all out; they'll kill you or die trying so give 'em no quarter. Be ready to kill if need be." He was dead serious, that much was certain.

Roland couldn't speak for others but he was ready to use lethal force against Fangers... and for a few moments he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

"Then let's go." Branwen ordered. "I prefer to get this done before nightfall."

* * *

Everything went well enough at the beginning. The Fang troopers didn't even notice they had intruders on their turf.

Qrow went in solo, as usual. Nick and Emery (though they still called him Desmond when Branwen or Nebula were nearby) were partners so they continued together, covering each other's backs. That meant Roland was left with Nebula.

The rifleman found himself sorely missing his partner and team leader. Tanya just was the kind of person that could remain level-headed in the middle of an inferno and lift people's spirits with a few well picked jokes or comments when the tension was becoming too much. Not that he had anything against Nebula. She seemed to know what she was doing but her almost perpetual silence and borderline apathetic behavior was really starting to bug him. The girl was still coping with the loss of her team, he could understand that, but still...

 _Focus on the mission,_ he had to remind himself. _You can always bitch later._

He and Nebula slipped through a hole in the fence and skirted around a decaying shed, heading deeper into the guarded village. No one noticed them so far; of course they always checked their surroundings before moving but there was always the chance of missing something, _or someone._

So far so good...

Roland glanced around the abandoned village as he followed his temporary team leader. The place sure had seen better days. He wondered whether it had always been that way (to be fair, most self-sufficient settlements out there barely had money to spend on repairs) or if the Fang made such a mess around here. Well, given what he saw them do back in Arcwind, he wouldn't put it past them. What unnerved him more than the run-down state of the village was the conspicuous absence of its inhabitants. He saw Fang grunts moving around the place, but no civilians. What happened to them?

Then suddenly Nebula halted him in his tracks.

The two of them were in a narrow alley between two houses. Roland was about to ask what was going on when he too saw it.

A possible target.

* * *

The mission was going smoothly so far.

At first, Emery thought he'd have trouble sneaking around, given his size, but Nick always managed to find a route that let them stay out of sight. Of course, his Semblance gave him a huge advantage there. After all, it helped all of them catch Cinder's little spy, Emerald, when things were still normal.

Nick stopped at a corner of a dilapidated shack and glanced around. "All clear, let's go!" He said moments later and crossed the street, pressing himself to a brick wall on the other hand. Emery followed him, fully trusting his lead.

The goliath found himself wandering how the others were doing. No need to worry about Qrow; he was one of the best Huntsmen in Remnant. A few White Fang mongrels were no match for someone of his caliber. Roland, on the other hand... The guy was stuck with the blue-haired girl, the only survivor from team NDGO. Emery knew nothing about her and that was enough to have him worried. _Why did they even send her on this mission?_ Six or so weeks wasn't enough to recover from losing three friends in one night. She could just shut down when confronted with Fangers and Roland would have to fight for both of them.. Or maybe she volunteered, which begged the question: _why?_

If she was after revenge... then she was more than likely to do something reckless which could put all of them in danger.

"Wait!"

Given the urgency in Nick's voice, Emery guessed there was trouble ahead.

The fox Faunus pointed out a dark figure several paces before them. A White Fang trooper. He didn't notice them, thanks to a conveniently placed pile of rubble. Unfortunately, he was in their way and finding an alternative route would take too long.

Fortunately, the grunt turned around and walked away, oblivious to a couple of intruders hiding nearby.

Emery barely suppressed a relieved sigh. _That was close..._

Nick took the chance and darted forward, Emery following a pace or two behind him. The Faunus crossed the street silently. When it was his partner's turn, there was a sudden loud metal clank that stopped him dead in his tracks... and prompted the Fang trooper to turn around. Emery saw the look Nick gave him and mouthed 'Wasn't me!'

The guard walked back to look for the source of the noise, not knowing there were intruders nearby. And Nick made sure it stayed that way when he flew at him from behind and knocked him out.

Alas he completely missed another guard nearby... and he witnessed Nick's daring action.

As soon as the trooper began screaming for help, Emery knew they were in huge trouble.

* * *

Hidden from the enemy's view behind a couple of rusted containers, Roland observed the guards patrolling around a large storehouse.

He and Nebula managed to avoid detection so far but at the same time they failed to find out why the White Fang was so interested in this area. That is until they happened upon this heavily guarded storehouse.

"What do you make of this?" He asked his partner.

"It's gotta be something important if those mutts waste so many troops guarding it." There was umistakable hint of malice in the girl's voice. "It might be worth checking out."

"Are you serious?" Roland hissed in bewilderment. "Branwen told us to stay out of sight. They'll totally spot us if we try sneaking inside!"

"There's gotta be a back entrance. We just have to find it." _Damn that stubborn girl!_

"Even if we do find it, you think the Fang will leave it unguarded?"

"Those bastards have no reason to think anyone would attack them here, not when Vale is in chaos." Nebula snarled. "They feel safe in here and they're bound to get sloppy... which works for us."

Yes, the argument did make sense but that didn't mean Roland agreed with her mad plan. She might be wrong and he wasn't willing to gamble his life away over an _assumption._ One single mistake and the whole Fang garrison would be on them.

"Besides, Branwen might already be there."

The gunman scowled. "I'm not gonna talk you out of this, am I?"

Before she could reply gunfire resounded from the far end of the village.

His hand instantly inched towards the stock of his trusty rifle, Thunderbolt. Either there was someone else nearby or, more likely, the other half of his team got spotted. This could go very ugly very fast.

The Fang goons started running around frantically. It was mass confusion and no one seemed to know what was going on. Then once they got past the initial shock they began heading off in the direction of gunfire in small groups.

Roland gritted his teeth. _Looks like stealth is out of the question now._ "We need to find our team! They need..." He turned to shout at Nebula only to trail off as she was gone. Letting out a frustrated growl, he began looking around frantically. When he found her again, she was halfway towards the storehouse which was left unguarded, as he only now noticed.

 _Damn that girl!_

Just like that, Nebula left him with a difficult choice. Either stay with Nebula and possibly put Nick and Emery in danger... or go help them and let her to fend for herself. He hated this kind of situation; always a wrong choice, no matter how he decided. So little time to make a choice... And the thought that someone might die because of it... Nick and Emery were a formidable duo in a fight, he knew that much. Nebula on the other hand... Aside from the brief show back during the Tournament, he had little knowledge on her combat prowess. True, she screwed up by running off on her own but still, he couldn't leave her to get herself killed.

Letting out a long but quiet stream of curses, he bolted after Nebula. _Qrow, you better be around to help our guys, you old drunk!_

* * *

Even as he weaved through the incoming grunts, parrying and evading incoming blows as well as striking out on his own, Nick cursed his- no, _their_ rotten luck. It was solely by chance that the Fang guard saw them.

Even worse, as he left his ears and tail, the proof of his Faunus heritage, on full display, the enemies seemed to converge on him. He had to suppress a bitter laugh; if they knew he used to be one of them just mere few years ago... They'd probably try to take him alive just to make him an example.

 _Well, let them try,_ he thought as he slammed his mace into another grunt's face, knocking him out.

Then his sensitive Faunus ears caught a soft whirring of machinery in the distance. He knew instantly what it was.

"Emery!" He shouted at his partner who was fighting off several attackers at once. "The Paladin's closing in on us! We need to get out of here!"

"I'm trying!" Emery executed a roundhouse swing that sent several Fang troopers flying. But they just wouldn't stay down, unless he'd straight up knock them out. The goons seemed determined to keep them from escaping until their Paladin arrived to take them out for good.

The fearsome machine was still nowhere in sight, though. Maybe it broke down along the way... but the Beacon students just didn't have that kind of luck.

Emery had just had it with the Fangers that kept harassing him like the annoying bugs they were. For the very first time, he revved up the chainsaw built into his greatsword. The Fang goons flinched away as its harsh sound cut through the air.

Then an explosion suddenly rang out in the distance... and half of the thugs turned towards the sound.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Nick and Emery smashed through the ranks of Fang troopers, beating down anyone that dared stand in their way. Only a handful of troopers decided to pursue them while the rest took off to the source of the explosion.

"What are we going to do about those guys?" Emery questioned, gesturing towards the pursuers as he ran.

"Don't worry," Nick shot back. "Got a plan!"

* * *

Whatever happened out there left the Fangers really startled because all of them ran off towards the source of danger, leaving the storehouse unguarded. That allowed Nebula and Roland to slip inside unnoticed.

Of course, the half a dozen guards inside the storehouse presented a nasty surprise. The battle that ensued was short but fierce and brutal. The Fang really didn't want them in there, it seemed.

The moment his rifle-axe clashed with the blade of the first goon to attack him, Roland was reminded of the warning Qrow gave them before this mission.

 _Once the fighting starts, expect those guys to go all out; they'll kill you or die trying so give 'em no quarter._

It wasn't his first time fighting Fang troopers and he was more than confident in his combat skills. If anything had him worried, it was Nebula.

It was impossible to drown out the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to just end them all. _It would be well deserved after everything they did..._ The horrors of the fall of Vale couldn't be forgotten so easily. Nevertheless Roland resisted the temptation and aimed to incapacitate, not kill, even if he wasn't above inflicting serious bodily harm.

The former leader of NDGO didn't stop there, though.

Nebula fought in an especially vicious, violent manner; he knew he shouldn't be surprised after what she was put through but he couldn't help it. One of her foes got nailed to a wall by a shot from her crossbow-sword. The moment when she beat bloody another trooper and then actually slit his throat from ear to ear actually made him shudder a bit.

The fight in the storehouse resulted in four Fang troopers dead. Three fell victim to Nebula's rage; Roland was forced to kill the last one to stop him from escaping and warning his friends. His end was quick and painless, with a single bullet through his skull.

The rifleman picked a piece of cable from the floor and went to restrain the two unconscious grunts that survived the fight. He didn't even look at Nebula who remained as impassive as ever.

"Let's see what's so damn important that the Fangers keep around here."

* * *

Emery stood alone against four Fang troopers that refused to give up on pursuing him. They had him cornered in a narrow alley and were closing on him, even as the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed in the distance.

But he was not afraid.

Not because he was some kind of hero, willing to fight even in the most hopeless situation. Not even the confidence in his abilities had anything to do with it.

The reason was far simpler. Emery had the goons right in the position that suited him.

Just as the Fang soldiers attacked, a shadow landed right among them and attacked without hesitation. Two of them went down before they could realize they had been played. Emery then joined the fight and made short work of the remaining ones.

"Didn't think they'd actually fall for it." Nick remarked at the sight of unconscious soldiers. It was easy for him to slip into the shadows and tail the enemies even as they were busy chasing after his partner. Then when they followed him into that alley, he sprung the trap... and it worked spectacularly.

"We should find the others," Emery pressed. "Fangers might be after them, too!"

Nick was inclined to agree. True, Branwen was more than capable of handling himself but Roland and the Violette girl could be facing some serious trouble. The two of them never worked together before, hence a lot of space for errors.

So began their search throughout the village, occasionally interrupted by a couple of Fang grunts` nothing they couldn't handle. Eventually they made it to the village square... where they were welcomed by the sight of Qrow Branwen sitting atop the smoking wreckage of a Paladin.

"Took you long enough," The eternally intoxicated Hunter drawled, taking a swig from his flask.

Nick could only stare at the remains of what used to be a deadly robot, shocked beyond words. Emery wasn't doing much better. _How in the..._

Branwen rolled his eyes and hopped off the pile of scrap metal. "Let's get going, you two. We're far from done around here."

* * *

At first, Roland couldn't help it but be pissed at Nebula.

She ran off on her own without any warning; it was an incredible stroke of luck that no one noticed her running to the storehouse. He had to run after her to make sure she'd make it inside safely, putting himself in danger as well. And then there was that _clusterfuck_ of a fight... Roland thought there better be something important hidden away in there, something worth all the hassle. After searching the place up and down and finding nothing but junk, he started thinking Nebula charged in simply to off a few Fang thugs.

Until they found the locked door leading to the basement.

It looked rather flimsy, made of rusty sheet steel, but it was secured by two solid locks. There was no time to look for keys. Roland resorted to a simple but efficient method; using the superior strength of his cybernetic arm to break the door down.

The first blow alone was enough to weaken the door but that concerned him far less than the alarmed cries that came out from behind it.

Could it be that the Fang held prisoners down there?

Three more blows and the door simply fell apart under the continuous assault.

The hunters in training walked down the stairs and through another door which was left unlocked. Then they were faced with a sight of a dimly lit room filled with _dozens_ of people drawing fearfully away from the intruders. Most of them were humans, of course, but Roland did notice a few Faunus among them.

At first, he was surprised to see captives; White Fang didn't seem to take prisoners before so this made him wonder why they'd start now. One closer look and it became all too clear, though. Those people were in terrible condition; dirty, tired, emaciated, some of them covered in blood from untreated wounds... the obvious signs of mistreatment. There were a few that had trouble standing.

His first thought on all this was: forced labor,or worse, _playthings,_ to be used and abused at the Fang's leisure.

In his shock, Roland didn't notice his partner run towards the crowd. Only her cry of "GWEN!" broke him out of the stupor.

Taking in the crowd that seemed to cower before him, he announced loudly. "We're with Beacon Academy. You're safe for now but other half of our team is still out there fighting, and we still have a few loose ends to tie up before we can get you out of here."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nebula with a girl with curly black hair, wearing filthy rags. Much to his amazement, Roland recognized the prisoner to be one of lost members of team NDGO; she was holding onto Nebula like if afraid she might slip out of her grasp and vanish.

Just how long was she stuck in here? What were the Fangers doing with those people?

Footsteps coming from above interrupted his chain of thought.

 _Answers can wait,_ he decided. _We gotta deal with our 'gracious hosts,' first._

* * *

It wasn't particularly hard to find the other half of team NNPL; all Qrow had to do was follow the sounds of the battle, which brought him to what appeared to be a large warehouse. He found it rather impressive that the two students, Lenius and Flamme, managed to keep up with him.

For a moment, he waited before the front entrance, listening to the sounds coming from inside, his sword-scythe out and ready to slice and dice. Metal clanks, dull thuds, gunshots and pained cries every few seconds. _Must be a helluva fight,_ he thought.

The students stood at his side, weapons out. "Are we going in or not?" Nick snapped.

There was no sense in waiting around. Qrow swung his blade at the door and smashed it down.

At the same moment, an unconscious Fang trooper went flying out of the storehouse, nearly crashing into him. _This is gonna be interesting,_ Qrow chuckled to himself. The smirk froze on his lips as he took in the scene that awaited them.

A dozen or so goons sporting White Fang uniforms lay strewn around the place... and Qrow saw enough wounds to know that some of those poor bastards were quite dead. It made him wonder just who could've caused such carnage.

He got his answer when a voice thick with fury cut through the air. "I'll ask again: what are you bastards doing here?!" He instantly recognized the shooter from team TNDR.

They saw him looming over a Fang soldier whose uniform looked different from what common grunts donned. He was beaten black and blue all over. On the contrary, Roland appeared alright, aside from a few cuts and bruises here and there. He was holding the thug by the throat with his right hand while pressing a gun to his forehed with his left. It was clear at a first glance that the gunman was absolutely livid, his face contorted in a snarl.

He didn't even look away when Qrow, Nick and Emery approached him. "Good thing you're here, Qrow. You any good at interrogation?"

"I'm not telling you shit, human!" The goon cried defiantly. "Do your worst! I'm not afraid to die!"

Roland tightened his grip on the goon's throat. "Oh yeah? That's good cuz _I'm not afraid to kill you!"_

Qrow had an impression that the sharpshooter wasn't bluffing and the students at his side seemed to think the same. "Right, let's not get hasty, here." Qrow drawled. "I gotta ask; is this your work?" He gestured to the dead bodies lying around.

"Not all of 'em." Roland said tersely. "Nebula offed a few, too."

Nick and Emery exchanged worried glances.

"Didn't think you kids had it in ya." Qrow sounded almost... _impressed?_ "To kill, I mean."

"If you're pushed, it gets as easy as breathing." Roland huffed, not taking his eyes off the thug. "Listen, Nebula and I discovered something rather... _sick,_ in here."

Nick frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We found a crowd of civvies in here, locked in the basement. Nebula's with them." He continued, trembling with barely contained fury. "Humans, Faunus, men, women, kids, you name it; forced labor, if I were to guess... _or worse._ They collect them from every settlement they conquered; don't know exactly what they do with them but this _piece of shit_ calls the shots around here so he must know something."

"You're getting nothing from me!" The captive roared again, earning himself a pistol-whip in the head.

"We won't need to." Qrow finally said, his expression grave. "We'll just ask the people you guys kidnapped."

* * *

It turned out the now free prisoners had a lot to say about their time in White Fang captivity. That is, those who were able to talk; many of them were too traumatized, which was saying a lot about the treatment they received from their captors. They could only give them bits and pieces.

It was three of the prisoners, a Faunus woman named Anise, Wren, a forester from the village of Avalon, and Nebula's teammate, Gwen Darcy, who preserved enough of their sanity to answer all the questions about their imprisonment and whatever plans their captors had with them.

Wren described the attack at Avalon, about three weeks ago. How the Fang killed anyone that stood in their way; how they rounded up the survivors and shot anyone who tried to run without a second thought; how they forced them to dig graves for their dead.

Qrow listened intently, scowling heavily. "What then? How did ya end up _here?_ "

"They kept some people in Avalon. As for us, the next thing I know we're in some kind of underground base or somethin'. Then some bashaw starts yellin' at us, sayin' that we're to serve the future masters of Remnant and that we should feel lucky. Yeah right..." The man scoffed. "They have us toil from dawn to dusk, just for the privilege of being left alive..."

"What did they have you do?" Emery asked.

"Everything they couldn't be bothered to do themselves! Diggin' up trenches, layin' down barb wire, carryin' stuff around, you name it! Some of them were sent to a Dust mine, horrible place to be... And we had to obey their orders to the letter; do what they said, go where they wanted us to. One step out of line, we'd get a beatin'."

"There was so much to get done and at the end of the day they'd make sure we _met our quota._ "Anise added. "That was the only time we'd get food, too. And if they decided we hadn't done enough, we wouldn't get _any_. I saw a few people collapse from sheer exhaustion. Every time a trooper came in to _finish him off..._ We were of no use to them if we couldn't work."

"So that's the only reason they kept you around? Slave labor?" Roland questioned.

"I wish!" The Faunus woman, Anise, exclaimed. "The Fang forced my son to join them! Who knows what those scum do to him every day to mold him into an obedient killer!"

"Really?" Nick said, his voice dangerously low.

"She's telling the trugh." Gwen said quietly. "I should know; I was stuck in Fang's captivity longer than the others, and I saw many things. Too many..."

Nebula squeezed her hand softly.

"So slave labor and forced conscriptions," Qrow muttered. "What else is there?"

"Every now and then, they'd take some of the captives and sell them on slave market. Strong and healthy males... and good-looking females." Gwen explained. Roland made a disgusted grimace. "The officers... kept some of the women for themselves."

"What about Dew and Octavia?" Nebula pressed. "What happened to them?"

Gwen remained silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice trembled. "I- I didn't want to wait around and see what they'd do to Hunters in training like us. None of us did; we wanted to get away. I had a plan; all we needed was a good opportunity. Then one day, when guards were escorting us to another cell, we made our move. Knocked out the guards, cut our bonds and headed for the exit... but things didn't go as planned. The underground base they kept us in was a pretty big place and... my plan didn't account for that. We got lost trying to find the way out... and then they caught us."

Nick knelt down beside her. "What did they do to you?"

"It wasn't just us..."

"What do you mean?"

"Officers were pissed that we knocked out their men and nearly escaped. They beat the living shit out of us, then dumped us back in our cells." She whispered. "Only it wasn't good enough for them. Next day, they took every tenth prisoner they had and gathered them in front of the base's entrance. Dragged us out, too, even when we could barely stand." Nick sure as hell didn't like the sound of it but he kept listening. "Then the commander showed up and told those people what we did. Then the bastard ordered his men to gun down the captives... and he made us watch them die, one by one!" Gwen broke down in tears. "They died because of us!" Nebula quickly pulled her into a hug.

Nick found himself thoroughly disgusted. Just when he thought White Fang couldn't get any worse after what they did in Vale city... There might not be such thing as pure evil, but his old organization was rapidly getting closer to that bar. Did Frey know Fang did things like that? If so, was he alright with it? Or even actually involved in it?

While Nebula tried to console her weeping teammate, Qrow looked at the other three students. "Kids, I'm afraid things got a bit complicated. Those people can't stay here and our one Bullhead can't carry all of them. I gotta signal our pilot to get help; flying back and forth several times to pick up all these people would take too much time."

"Maybe we should check if the Fangers have trucks around here, or something." Emery suggested.

"Trucks are too slow." The Huntsman rejected the idea. "Besides, who would drive 'em? I ain't got a license."

"I can fly a VTOL." Nick butted in. "Maybe we should check if the Fang left another Bullhead around here."

Qrow shrugged. "You're welcome to try... but I don't think we're that lucky."

"So we'll be stuck here until all prisoners get away safely?" Roland scowled. "We'll be sitting ducks, perfect targets for those Fang bastards."

"It's about an hour of flight to the nearest Vale-controlled settlement. We won't have to stay that long. Besides, nightfall's coming; kinda hard getting out of here in pitch dark if you're not a Faunus." Then he added. "Even if the Fang knows that we took out their garrison in here, it's gonna take 'em a while before they come here in force."

"In that case, we can't waste time. I'm gonna look for another VTOL." Nick said resolutely and walked away. Maybe he'd get lucky and find a Bullhead tucked away somewhere... and then all of them could get out of this hellhole.

* * *

In the meantime, Gwen calmed down a bit in the presence of her teammate. "I'm so sorry, Gwen," Nebula whispered, squeezing her hands. "That must've been-"

"It gets even better," Gwen spat out. "After slaughtering the prisoners, the commander ordered the three of us stripped naked and flogged, in plain view of every Fang soldier present! His goons didn't hold back... Only after our backs were red with blood they finally stopped. They had to carry us into our cells 'cause we literally couldn't walk. The next few days, all I could do was lie on my cot, and Via and Dew weren't doing much better."

"Sick bastards..." Roland shook his head.

"A medic would come check on us every few hours, on commander's orders. Not because he'd care about our well-being, of course; we'd be useless to him if we died. Then one day the boss himself and a few goons dragged Dew out of her cell and led her away. A while later another band came in and took Via. I never saw either of them since... but I could hear screams coming from somewhere inside the base for hours before it stopped." Gwen wiped angry tears from her eyes. "The next day, they took me away to another camp for work... and since then I was nothing but a slave. The commander made sure that everyone gave me _special treatment;_ if the Fang treated prisoners like shit, what I got was way worse..." She hung her head, refusing to look at anyone. "I'm surprised I haven't slit my own throat yet but something kept me going through all that time."

"Well, I can say your suffering is over now." Qrow said, his features hardening. Moment later, he began barking out orders. "Lenius, Fangers must have supplies stashed somewhere in the village; food, drink, medication, that kinda thing. Take Peregrine with you and do some 'pantry raiding'; take everything you can carry. And make it quick!"

The students nodded wordlessly and walked away. Qrow's eyes lingered on Roland, taking in the firmly set jaw, stormy look in his eyes, and clenched fists. A clear sign of someone being on the verge of a breaking point, he saw it hundred times before. One more push and the lad would do something _drastic._

 _I'll cross that bridge when I get there,_ the Huntsman thought. _There's stuff to be done, better get to it._

* * *

The sun set a good hour ago. Darkness descended quickly on the land and in the village where there was no public lighting it might be a problem. It made no difference to Nick since as a Faunus he could see fairly well in the dark. Better than humans, anyway.

He walked through the dark street, looking for anything even remotely resembling a hangar. The eerie silence was disturbed only by distant howls. It reminded him that White Fang wasn't their only problem. Sooner or later, monsters would come here, too. Better get out of here sooner than later; those people deserved that much after weeks of slaving away for the Fang.

Just thinking about what was going on made him sick to his stomach. _This_ was the righteous cause he fought for once, years ago? But he knew too well this wasn't about equality anymore. Fang wanted revenge at any cost... and some people, like Dracul, wanted to take it even further. Nick very much dobted his former mentor took his lunacy to his grave. No doubt there were others out there who'd want to finish what he started...

Nick stopped, squinting at an enormous bush sitting in the middle of a field. _They just don't grow that big,_ he thought. Driven by curiosity, he approached it... and realized it was no bush but a huge pile of tree branches stacked up on one another. _What was the purpose of that?_ _Saving that for a huge-ass bonfire?_ Something seemed off about the pile, thought he couldn't point his finger on what...

Not until he noticed the wire mesh and bits of cloth. _A camouflage net?_

It finally hit him. Something was hidden under all the wood and foliage.

Like a frenzied animal, he started grabbing the branches and tossing them aside, determined to get to the bottom of the pile as quickly as possible.

He didn't stop until his fingers touched cold metal.

His eyes lit up. _JACKPOT!_

* * *

"Wow, look at that." Emery whistled as he took in what could only be the officer's quarters. "Fangers sure were living like lords."

"Somehow I doubt this privilege extends for the common grunts." Roland snorted. "Still, they have it way better than their prisoners." His voice was dripping with anger and disgust.

Emery didn't blame him. He heard everything about how the Fang treated their prisoners, and what they did to Gwen and her friends. War tended to bring out the worst in people, he knew that saying. But _this..._ Goodness, this was just sick. To treat other people like dirt just because they thought themselves to be the 'master race?' It reminded him of his own experiences in the Ajax Project.

"Okay, remember what Qrow said. Food, drink and a medicine; whole lot of it." The gunman said. "Unless Nick somehow finds another ride, we'll be stuck here for a while."

"Smack in the middle of White Fang territory. What a great time to be alive."

 _Wow..._ Emery didn't even know he had it in himself to be sarcastic.

The local garrison was well supplied indeed, no doubt from whatever they stole in the territory they took or got in the black market. Emery found many things they could use; preserved meat, several cases of bottled water, canned food, snacks, pretty much anything the prisoners would never lay their eyes on. He could barely carry it all and that was saying something.

Roland entered the room a while later, carrying a wooden box filled with bottles of disinfectant, rolls of gauze, bandages and many other kinds of medical supplies.

"Not bad... Guess our new friends are gonna get a decent meal for a change." He remarked with a weak half-smile. "I hope what I found is gonna be enough for all of them."

"Well, I hope someone's better at giving first aid than the two of us."

Emery and Roland headed back to the storehouse, barely seeing their own feet in the dark. There was a long night ahead of them.

They didn't see Nick running towards them until he was literally at their faces.

"Nick? Where's the fire?" Roland chuckled as he saw his friend gasping for breath. He was probably running all the way.

"Guys, I found us another ride!"

The rifleman shared a look for Emery. There was no way they could be that lucky.

* * *

But it turned out they were.

Qrow almost didn't believe it either, but when Nick flew the Bullhead he found back to the storehouse, the skepticism promptly evaporated. And the captives' mood improved once they heard they'd be away from Stone Creek and the Fang in just a few hours. Being given a real food in weeks probably helped, too.

"How many people we've got here?" The Huntsman questioned. "Two VTOLs are great and all but it still might not be enough."

"It makes 48 people, including the five of us." Nebula stated. Gwen didn't leave her side ever since their unexpected reunion.

"That makes 24 for each VTOL," Qrow mused, rubbing his stubbly chin. "That might do... It'll have to. Just do something to cover the Fang emblem. We don't want to get shot down by our own guys, do we?"

"So what do we do, now?" Nick asked.

"I've already called our pilot back. He should arrive soon."

Within the next two minutes, another Bullhead touched down nearby. The howls coming from the wilderness grew closer.

They lingered around too long; it was high time to leave.

Qrow and the Beacon students quickly ushered the now free captives onto the two aircraft. They didn't seem to need much convincing. The veteran Hunter noticed Roland stealing subtle glances at the storehouse, or more precisely, the space beneath it.

For some reason he didn't like it, but there were other things to worry about. Like letting a _greenhorn_ fly a Bullhead full of people... But Nick assured repeatedly him he knew what he was doing so he was willing to trust his judgement. Not that he had much choice...

He looked around and suddenly frowned. _Where the hell is Peregrine?_

* * *

With determined steps, Roland walked to the basement, his fingers toying with the pistols.

He knew he should've already boarded his Bullhead, that others would waste precious time waiting for him. But this was a matter that just had to be done. There were some loose ends to tie up... and since no one gave it any thought, the task fell to him.

It wasn't exactly easy to make this decision but hearing of all the horrors that happened here, or anywhere in Fang's territory erased any doubts he had before.

They started this and just like the saying goes, what goes around comes around...

He arrived to the basement just in time to see captive Fang troopers creeping out, free of their bonds. Their commander was in front.

"Goin' somewhere, boys?" Roland asked with a lopsided smile as he blocked their way.

The boss scowled furiously when he recognized him. "It's the murderer of our brothers! Get him!" The grunts weren't armed but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. "Then we'll get the rest of them!"

His smirk widened. _Thanks for making this easier for me._

Within a moment, the pistols were out of their holsters.

* * *

The others might not notice but the series of muffled gunshots didn't escape Qrow's attention. He sighed; everyone had their breaking point... and someone had just reached theirs.

A while later, Roland walked out of the storehouse, his face impassive. "Where have you been?" Qrow demanded.

"I caught the Fangers sneaking out, probably to try and take us by surprise." The gunman said flatly. "I stopped them. _Permanently._ "

 _Of course he did..._ "Yeah, yeah. Get on board; we're waiting just for _you._ " The Hunter said pointing at the second Bullhead, piloted by Nick. As Roland walked past him, Qrow laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "I know what you did." He hissed quietly. "You're heading down a dangerous path, kid. Sure, they might've been bad guys, but where is it gonna end, huh?"

"Thanks for your concern but I'm perfectly capable of training my guns on those who _really_ deserve it." Roland shot back, shaking his arm off. Qrow frowned disapprovingly but let him go.

He made sure no one remained behind and then climbed onto his VTOL. "Alright, take us out of here."

"Sure thing, boss." The pilot drawled and spoke into the radio. "Alright, time to take off."

"Got it!" Nick's voice crackled through the static.

The aircraft took into the night sky, leaving the ruined village behind them... just moments before a pack of Beowolves emerged from the woods.

Qrow watched the beasts crawl about and sniff at the air. Their work was done for now; they uncovered the Fang's involvement in slave trading and saved near four dozens captives to boot. Unfortunately, they didn't discover the exact location of the Fang's main base, which meant that sooner or later they'd have to return.

Or maybe he should leave the kids out of this. There was a good reason why he worked alone.

* * *

Author's note: _Finally it's done..._ _I planned to make this one a lot shorter but as little ideas piled up this grew into the near 9000 words long monster. And to think I revised it to make it a bit shorter. The direction this short took might be a bit surprising but in a world where everything seems to be going to shit, it's something to be expected, I guess._ _I realize the ending might seem a bit rushed but that's because I really wanted to get this done already. It was taking way too long._

 _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)___


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